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THE    FAMILY    HOUSE 


BY 


Charles  Francis  Osborne 

Professor  of  Architectural  History,  University  of  Pennsylvania 
Editor  of  ' '  The  American  Architect ' ' 


THE  PENN  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

PHILADELPHIA 

1910 


COPYEIGHr 
1910  BY 
THEPENN 
PUBUSHING 
COMPANY 


The  Family  House 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

The  illustrations  opposite  pp.  97,  132  and 
180  are  reproduced  from  "  The  Art  Revival 
in  Austria,"  and  are  used  by  the  kind  permis- 
sion of  John  Lane  &  Company.  For  the  floor 
plans  on  pages  87  and  88,  drawn  by  W.  N. 
Smith,  Architect,  for  "  The  Delineator," 
thanks  are  due  to  its  publishers,  The  Butterick 
Publishing  Company. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  Introduction 9 

II  House  and  Home 14 

III  Where  Shall  the  House  Be? 30 

IV  Sunshine  and  View  ........  47 

V  How  is  the  House  Built? 56 

VI  What  is  the  Plan  of  the  House?  ...    81 

VII    The  House  Refined 127 

VIII    Heating  and  Ventilating 148 

IX    Plu^ibing 17s 

X    The  House  and  the  Garden 188 

XI    A  Stitch  in  Time 213 

Index 229 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A  House  of  Moderate  Cost Frontispiece 

Sunshine  on  North  Wall 48 

Sunshine  on  East  Wall,  June 49 

Sunshine  on  East  Wall,  December 49 

Sunshine  on  South  Wall,  June 49 

Sunshine  on  South  Wall,  December 49 

Sunshine  on  West  Wall,  June 50 

Sunshine  on  West  Wall,  December 50 

First  Floor  Plan  of  a  Narrow  City  House  ...  85 

First  Floor  Plan  of  an  Austrian  House  ....  87 

Second  Floor  Plan  of  an  Austrian  House   ...  88 
Dining  Room  in  the  House  of  the  Chaplain  to  the 

Grand  Duke  of  Hesse 97 

First  Floor  Plan  of  a  $5000  House 106 

Second  Floor  Plan  of  a  $5000  House 107 

Plans  of  a  Good  House  for  a  Small  City  Lot  .     .  108 

Plans  of  a  Narrow  Suburban  House 115 

Ground  Floor  Plan  of  a  House  on  a  Fifty- foot  Lot  119 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Second  Floor  Plan,  House  on  a  Fifty-foot  Lot  .     .   120 

Plan  of  a  Bungalow,  First  Stage 123 

Plan  of  a  Bungalow,  Second  Stage 124 

Two  "  Art  Nouveau  "  Bedrooms 132 

A  European  Kitchen 180 

Treatment  of  a  Small  Front  Yard 201 

Plan  for  House  and  Garden  on  a  Narrow  City  Lot  207 


THE  FAMILY   HOUSE 


CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTORY 

A  GOOD  many  hundred  years  have  gone  by 
since  a  wise  observer  of  men  and  affairs  re- 
corded his  judgment  that  "  the  destruction  of 
the  poor  is  their  poverty." 

It  is  worth  while  to  recall  this  proverb,  for 
it  has  not  lost  its  force  through  the  lapse  of 
time.  Modern  social  and  financial  condi- 
tions have,  on  the  contrary,  extended  its  ap- 
plication far  beyond  those  of  whom  it  was 
originally  uttered,  and  its  truth  is  keenly  felt 
by  that  much  larger  class  in  the  community 
who,  while  not  to  be  regarded  as  the  strictly 
poor,  have  yet  been  reduced  by  the  operations 
of  modern  commerce  to  a  condition  of  almost 
equal  helplessness. 

It  is  to  such  this  book  is  addressed.  Not 
to  the  rich  (who  are  well  able  to  take  care  of 
themselves,  so  far  as  their  physical  comfort 
9 


10  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

is  concerned)  but  to  those  of  strictly  limited 
income  who,  though  feeling  the  increasing 
pressure  of  rising  prices  for  all  commodities, 
have  still  the  desire  to  obtain  better  things 
for  their  households. 

To  the  man  of  fixed  income,  the  steadily 
rising  cost  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  or  (to 
put  it  in  a  different  way)  the  steadily  decreas- 
ing purchasing  power  of  money,  is  a  matter 
of  the  most  serious  concern.  This  is  not  the 
place  to  discuss  the  probable  ultimate  reasons 
for  this  phenomenon,  but  observation  and  com- 
mon sense  alike  suffice  to  convince  that  the 
advancing  prices  of  foodstuffs,  and  of  most 
other  household  necessities  are  at  least  partly 
due  to  combinations  of  producers,  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  "  boosting  "  prices  to  the  ex- 
tremest  limits  the  ultimate  consumer  will  en- 
dure, and  that  this  artificial  rise  in  prices  has 
been  vastly  stimulated  by  the  extravagant 
scale  of  living  adopted  by  those  who  are  not 
under  the  restraint  of  fixed  income  or  salary. 

Physical  existence  makes  two  imperative 
demands:  for  food,  and  for  protection  from 
the  weather.  These  may  only  be  denied  at 
the  cost  of  life  itself.  But,  as  has  been 
pointed  out,  toward  the  powerfully  capital- 
ized organisms  which  produce  his   food,  the 


INTRODUCTORY  11 

man  of  modest  income  is  reduced  to  a  purely 
receptive  attitude.  For  the  vast  majority  of 
consumers,  the  price  and  quality  of  their  food 
are  matters  over  which  they  have  not  the 
slightest  control;  and  about  the  only  privi- 
lege left  them  is  that  of  taking  away  the  goods 
if  they  can  pay  the  demanded  price. 

With  that  other  need  of  physical  existence 
—  shelter  —  with  which  this  book  is  more  im- 
mediately concerned,  matters  have  not  yet 
arrived  at  such  a  pass.  With  houses  and 
clothes,  competition  is  fortunately  yet  opera- 
tive and  if  the  buyer  does  not  like  one  house 
or  one  coat,  he  can  usually  find  another,  and 
often  better,  at  the  same  price. 

But  to  make  our  money  go  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, we  must  bargain  with  intelligence,  and 
it  is  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  explain  the 
fundamental  principles  which  govern  in  the 
domain  of  housebuilding,  and  to  point  out 
those  elements  whose  presence  makes  the  good 
and  wholesome  house  and  whose  absence 
makes  the  uneconomical  and  unwholesome 
one. 

The  rising  cost  of  food  has  forced  upon 
the  housekeeper  a  close  study  of  the  situation 
in  that  regard,  and  this  study  has  proved 
profitable  not  only  through  the  resulting  abil- 


1«  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ity  to  buy  more  closely,  but  from  a  more  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  the  laws  of  diet  it  has 
been  possible  to  secure,  without  increased  cost, 
a  more  varied  and  palatable  bill  of  fare. 

In  a  similar  way,  a  closer  study  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  housing  will  not  only  enable  the 
householder  to  secure  a  better  house  for  his 
money,  but  through  incidental  economies 
(such  as  lessened  fuel  cost,  and  a  more  whole- 
some house  with  corresponding  reductions  in 
the  doctor's  bill)  he  will  be  much  better  off, 
financially,  at  the  end  of  the  year.  The  bet- 
ter way  opens  more  quickly  to  the  man  who 
knows. 

And  not  the  least  of  the  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  this  study  of  the  housing  prob- 
lem, will  be  the  increased  pleasure  of  the  home 
life,  through  the  ability  to  secure  more  agree- 
able and  beautiful  surroundings. 

For,  fortunately,  capital  is  not  the  only 
source  of  power.  Knowledge,  easily  acquired, 
may  be  skillfully  played  against  competition, 
and  places  in  the  housekeeper's  hands  about 
the  only  legitimate  weapon  which  is  available 
for  the  man  of  limited  means  in  his  struggle 
with  the  well-nigh  crushing  combinations  of 
capital  arrayed  against  him  in  his  role  of  con- 
sumer. 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

Such  knowledge,  it  cannot  be  too  strongly 
asserted,  enables  a  man  to  provide  for  his 
family  not  merely  shelter  of  some  kind,  but 
of  the  kind  they  need  for  their  physical,  men- 
tal, and  moral  advancement. 


CHAPTER  II 

HOUSE   AND    HOME 

A  MORE  general  and  determined  movement 
toward  house  ownership  would  be  made  by 
people  of  moderate  means  if  the  distinction 
involved  in  the  two  words  "  house "  and 
"  home  "  were  more  generally  felt. 

Doubtless  it  is  the  desire  of  all  normal  men 
and  women  to  own  the  house  in  which,  in  due 
time,  are  to  be  developed  their  own  lives 
toward  maturity,  and  those  of  their  children 
from  earliest  infancy.  But  no  such  devel- 
opment can  be  regarded  as  wholly  adequate 
which  is  not  sustained  by  the  endearing  mem- 
ories of  home.  Yet  when  you  read  of 
"  Homes  for  $2500,"  or  "  Buying  a  Home 
for  the  Price  of  Rent,"  remember  that  the 
words  do  not  bear  the  meaning  they  appear 
to  have. 

A  house  is  a  commercial  product,  but  a 

home  is  not.     Home  is  the  house  plus  family 

life.     That  home  to   which  one   looks   back 

with  the  most  sacred  and  tender  memories  in 

14 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  16 

after  years  was  a  compound  of  both.  Every 
nook  and  corner  of  it  is  vividly  associated 
with  some  personahty  or  event,  and  we  feel 
it  to  have  been  almost  alive  and  sentient,  so 
harmonious  do  these  relations  often  seem. 
We  all  know  how  hard  it  was  to  leave  such  a 
house,  and  how  doubly  bitter  was  the  trial 
when  we  saw  it  pass  into  other  and  unsym- 
pathetic hands,  which  tore  down,  rearranged, 
and  "  improved "  those  features  which  we 
think  of  as  an  absolutely  essential  part  of  our 
earthly  existence. 

THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY  LIFE 

Family  life,  then,  being  regarded  as  the  es- 
sential basis  of  the  home,  we  may  reasonably 
demand  of  the  house  that  it  shall  be  adapted 
to  the  fundamental  characteristics  of  a  defi- 
nite family.  It  is  only  under  such  conditions 
that  correct  development  of  family  character 
can  occur.  A  house  which  is  so  badly  ar- 
ranged or  is  so  deficient  in  the  essentials  of 
orderly  living  that  the  natural  and  proper  re- 
quirements of  the  particular  family  cannot  be 
met,  leads  to  irritation  on  the  part  of  indi- 
vidual members  and  the  formation  of  habits 
of  life  which  fall  below  the  ideal  of  conduct, 


16  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

and  results  in  an  unnatural  and  undeveloped 
existence  of  the  family  as  a  whole.  A  friend 
of  the  author,  who  was  separated  from  his 
second  wife  shortly  after  their  marriage,  said 
that  his  domestic  troubles  were  mainly  due  to 
the  faulty  arrangements  of  his  house.  Cir- 
cumstances other  than  financial  compelled 
him  to  live  in  a  country  town  where  there  was 
little  opportunity  of  choice  offered  to  tenants. 

OWNERSHIP   VERSUS   RENT 

Every  effort  should  therefore  be  made, 
where  one's  prospects  of  employment  permit, 
to  build  or  purchase  a  house  rather  than  rent 
one.  Salaried  people  in  large  cities,  while 
they  may  never  be  assured  of  security  in  any 
particular  position,  are  usually  warranted  in 
assuming  that  the  field  of  their  future  work 
will  be  somewhere  within  the  city  limits;  and 
this  fixity  of  the  field  of  employment  justifies 
house  ownership.  For  such,  it  is  sometimes 
regarded  as  a  wiser  financial  policy  to  leave 
a  substantial  part  of  the  purchase  money  in 
the  form  of  a  mortgage,  as  the  property  is 
thus  acquired  more  easily  and  with  less  risk, 
and,  in  an  emergency,  may  be  the  more  easily 
disposed  of. 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  17 

Theory  and  experience  alike  declare  that  it 
is  economically  unsafe  for  any  one  of  limited 
means  to  expend  more  than  one-fifth  of  his 
income  for  rent,  or  its  equivalent.  If  this 
ratio  is  exceeded,  some  essential  of  life  is 
necessarily  forced  below  its  normal  supply, 
and  health,  material  or  moral,  suffers.  When 
income  declines  to  the  point  where  only  the 
barest  existence  is  possible,  the  ratio  must 
necessarily  be  even  lower  than  one-fifth; 
though  in  congested  quarters  of  the  city  where 
the  worker  must  live  near  his  work,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  maintain  the  safe  ratio.  Yet,  by  some 
means  or  other  it  must  be  done,  or  disaster  in 
the  future  is  inevitable.^ 

1  In  a  recent  number  of  The  Bulletin  (Philadelphia), 
a  query  appeared  in  the  correspondence  column  asking 
for  advice  as  to  the  best  way  of  living  for  a  young 
married  couple  whose  income  was  eight  dollars  a 
week.    The  following  reply  was  printed : 

HOUSEKEEPING  ON  $8  A  WEEK 
To  the  Editor  of  "  The  Bulletin." 

Sir:  If  I  were  "  M.  P.  W."  this  is  what  I  would  do. 
I  would  rent  a  large  room  for  about  $4  a  month.  I 
would  lay  $i  aside  each  week  for  rent,  then  I  would 
buy  bed  and  necessary  bedding,  a  small  table,  two  chairs 
and  stove,  and  pay  so  much  a  week  on  furniture,  say, 
$1.  Five  dollars  for  table,  $1  for  coal  and  insurance. 
Of  course,  if  there  is  any  sickness  or  medicine  needed, 
take  a  little  off  of  everything  else  to  pay  for  that.  This 
seems  rather  little  to  do  on,  but  where  there  is  a  will 
there  is  a  way.  I  did  it.  I  am  married  twelve  years, 
have  four  children  and  a  comfortable  home  and  pay 
for  all  I  get  and  am  willing  to  earn  a  dollar  or  two  by 


18  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

THE   BUILDING   ASSOCIATION 

If  one  desires  to  purchase  a  house,  it  can 
be  done  in  several  ways;  but  to  put  any  of 
them  into  operation  it  is  essential  that  some 
cash  reserve  shall  have  been  accumulated  to 
begin  with.  If  a  cash  payment  can  be  made 
of  part  of  the  purchase  price,  the  property 
can  usually  be  mortgaged  to  an  amount  suf- 
ficient to  cover  the  balance;  the  interest  on 
the  mortgage  being  about  equivalent  in  amount 
to  a  fair  rental  value  of  the  property.  If  one 
is  so  fortunate  as  to  live  within  a  territory 
covered  by  the  operations  of  a  local  "  build- 
ing and  loan  society,"  he  will  find  that  no  more 
satisfactory  method  of  house  purchasing  for 
the  man  of  limited  means  has  ever  been 
devised. 

The  way  in  which  such  a  society  operates 
can  be  best  illustrated  by  a  concrete  example. 
Let  us  suppose  B  wishes  to  purchase  a  house 
that  is  offered  for  sale  at  three  thousand  dol- 
lars. Some  cash  in  hand  is  required  by  the 
society  as  an  evidence  of  good  faith  and  re- 
sponsibility.    Assuming  that  B  has  six  hun- 

sewing  or  washing  and  ironing.  I  never  got  over  $to 
or  $12  a  week,  and  have  got  as  little  as  $6  a  week. 
We  never  spend  money  foolishly,  for  we  do  not  have 
it  to  spend.  J.  L.  R. 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  19 

dred  dollars  to  apply  on  his  purchase,  there 
is  a  balance  of  twenty-four  hundred  dollars 
to  be  borrowed.  This  amount  the  society  will 
lend  him,  after  having  assured  itself,  through 
its  officers,  of  B's  good  character,  his  pros- 
pects of  a  steady  income,  and  of  the  adequate 
value  of  the  property  on  which  the  loan  is 
desired.  To  repay  this  loan,  B  purchases 
(say)  twelve  "  shares  "  in  the  society  on  which 
he  pays  "  dues  "  of  one  dollar  per  month  per 
share;  and  he  pays  in  addition  one  dollar  per 
month  interest;  this  latter  being  computed  at 
six  per  cent.  This  makes  a  total  payment  of 
twenty-four  dollars  per  month,  or  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  dollars  per  year.  These 
payments  continue  until  each  "  share "  has, 
through  the  profits  of  the  society,  acquired  a 
value  of  two  hundred  dollars.  When  this  oc- 
curs, the  shares  are  regarded  as  having  ma- 
tured. Since  the  average  profits  of  such 
societies  when  well  conducted  are  about  eight 
per  cent,  per  year,  it  usually  takes  about  eleven 
and  one-half  years  for  such  shares  to  mature. 
It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  B  has  paid,  for  his 
original  loan  of  twenty- four  hundred  dollars, 
the  sum  of  thirty-three  hundred  and  twelve 
dollars;  but  having  had  eleven  and  one-half 
years  in  which  to  pay  it,  he  has  felt  no  more 


20  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

burden  than  if  he  had  paid  rent  during  that 
time,  and  at  the  end  of  the  period  the  house 
is  his  own.  Many  hundreds  of  house  owners 
have  become  such  through  the  operation  of 
these  beneficial  societies,  which  are  purely 
mutual  in  their  method  of  operation,  and 
when  carefully  conducted  have  shown  an  ex- 
ceedingly small  percentage  of  loss. 

One  word  of  caution  seems  advisable. 
Contrary  to  the  operation  of  the  general  laws 
which  apply  to  mercantile  corporations,  those 
building  and  loan  associations  are  most  se- 
cure which  are  limited  in  their  scope  by  be- 
ing purely  local  in  their  organization  and  field 
of  operations.  This  is  because  the  real  estate 
field  in  which  they  operate  is  well  known  to 
the  officers  of  the  society;  and  with  the  char- 
acter and  prospects  of  those  applying  for 
shares  they  are  equally  well  acquainted.'^ 

THE  HOUSE  TO  FIT  THE  FAMILY 

But  whether  one  buys  or  rents  every  effort 
should  be  made  to  the  end  that  the  house,  in 
its  variable   factors,  conforms  as  closely  as 

1  Several  attempts  (one  or  two  possibly  in  good 
faith)  have  been  made  to  organize  such  a  society  on  a 
state  or  national  basis,  but  complete  disaster  has  re- 
sulted in  every  case,  so  far  as  is  known  to  the  writer. 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  gl 

possible  to  one's  ideals  and  habits  of  life.  A 
house  is  something  more  than  walls  and  roof ; 
windows  and  doors;  floors  and  ceilings. 
There  is  position,  or  site;  interior  arrange- 
ment, or  plan;  there  are  questions  of  the  ma- 
terials of  which  it  is  built,  of  neighborhood; 
of  accessibility,  of  rental  and  cost  of  main- 
tenance, and  kindred  others.  These  require 
careful  and  intelligent  consideration;  and  the 
following  chapters  deal  specifically  with  such, 
in  order  that  the  renter  or  purchaser  may 
secure  from  the  field  of  competition  between 
the  real  estate  operators  the  best  advantages 
which  his  means  can  secure.  But  bargaining 
in  this  field  inures  to  the  buyer's  advantage 
in  exact  proportion  to  his  acquaintance  with 
the  elements  of  value  in  the  transaction. 

There  is  always,  therefore,  some  choice  for 
the  renter  as  to  neighborhood;  some  prefer- 
ence to  be  exercised  on  sanitary  grounds; 
some  balancing  of  advantages,  from  his  own 
point  of  view,  of  the  relative  merits  of  two 
otherwise  equally  available  houses.  If  the 
plan  of  the  house  be  found  in  some  details 
unsuitable,  it  may  often  be  mitigated  and  im- 
proved wholly  or  partially  with  the  landlord's 
cooperation,  especially  if  the  house  be  taken 
on  long  lease.     Colors  on  the  walls  and  of 


'2«  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

fabrics  for  the  hangings  may  be  selected  at 
will,  and  the  furniture  gradually,  if  not  im- 
mediately, be  brought  into  some  sort  of  har- 
mony with  one's  ideas  of  suitability  and 
comfort.  So  that  even  about  a  rented  house 
there  may  be  created  by  intelligent  effort  some 
atmosphere  and  sentiment  of  home,  even 
though  the  exterior  be  preposterous  or  ugly, 
or  the  plan  in  minor  respects  absurd. 

It  is  especially  unfortunate  that  the  vast 
majority  of  rentable  houses  have  been  "  built 
for  the  market,"  and  built,  too, —  one  cannot 
say  designed  —  by  men  whose  temperament 
and  previous  habits  of  life  unfit  them  for  a 
comprehension  of  the  point  of  view  of  re- 
fined and  discriminating  tenants  of  limited 
means.  At  no  more  expense  such  houses 
could  have  been  made  agreeable  and  comfort- 
able instead  of  inadequate  and  absurd.  But 
of  this,  more  in  detail  in  another  chapter. 


THE  RICH   MAN  S  TROUBLES 

The  poor  man  may  console  himself  that 
the  larger  houses  of  the  rich  are  a  severe 
burden  from  an  administrative  point  of  view. 
One  very  rich  man  has  recently  incorporated 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  «8 

his  house,  thereby  placing  its  complex  admin- 
istration on  an  exact,  stable,  and  impersonal 
commercial  basis.  Another,  recently  de- 
ceased, closed  his  really  magnificent  house  in 
the  suburbs  of  a  large  city  and  took  rooms  for 
himself  and  his  wife  —  his  children  were  all 
married  and  scattered  —  in  a  by  no  means 
commodious  apartment  house  in  the  heart  of 
the  city.  His  response  to  the  openly  ex- 
pressed surprise  of  his  less  experienced  friends 
throws  a  flood  of  light  on  the  domestic 
burdens  of  the  rich.  He  said,  "  I  am  tired  of 
keeping  a  negro  hotel."  His  large  staff  of 
house  servants  were  all  colored,  and  the  dis- 
proportion between  the  troublesome  detail  of 
their  maintenance  and  that  of  himself  and 
his  wife  had  finally  struck  him  as  ridiculous 
and  further  unendurable. 

Home  life  cannot,  obviously,  be  developed 
in  a  rented  apartment  house,  still  less  in  a 
hotel,  as  a  recent  notable  and  pathetic  case  has 
illustrated,  and  as  for  the  homeless  rich  of 
the  newer  type,  whose  domestic  troubles  are 
becoming  a  public  scandal,  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  the  disintegration  of  family  life, 
which  afflicts  and  characterizes  them  as  a  class, 
is  as  largely  due  to  the  impossibility  for  them 


24r  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

of  home  life,  under  the  exactions  of  modern 
fashionable  society,  as  to  any  one  other  single 
cause. 

Some  mitigation  of  the  disadvantages  of 
life  in  an  apartment  has  been  brought  about 
in  New  York,  where  it  is  now  possible  to 
purchase  single  apartments.  This  scheme  has 
been  devised  as  a  compromise  between  the 
rented  apartment  and  the  suburban  home,  since 
physical  conditions  in  New  York  make  house 
ownership  increasingly  difficult,  even  for  peo- 
ple of  relatively  comfortable  income. 


BUY  CAREFULLY 

There  is  a  fundamental  rule  to  which  strict 
attention  should  be  paid  in  every  step  con- 
nected with  the  development  of  the  home.  By 
so  doing  not  only  will  satisfaction  be  produced 
in  all  that  relates  to  utility  and  economy, 
but  it  will  also  have  another  most  agreeable  re- 
sult, and  that  is  that  the  home  which  develops 
under  such  conditions  will  bear  the  unmistak- 
able impress  of  the  owner's  individuality. 
For  men  of  moderate  means,  who  may  feel 
warranted  in  the  expense  of  building  a  house, 
attention  must  of  course  be  paid  to  the  com- 
mercial side  of  the  question.     That  is  to  say, 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  25 

to  the  possible  necessity  of,  at  some  time  in 
the  future,  disposing  of  the  property  without 
too  much,  if  any,  financial  sacrifice.  If  the 
site  of  the  house  has  been  judiciously  selected 
as  suggested  in  a  succeeding  chapter,  the  house 
itself  honestly  built  of  sound  materials  rather 
than  for  the  purpose  of  superficial  display,  the 
value  of  such  a  house  property  should  con- 
tinually even  though  slowly  increase;  but  in 
developing  the  principal  of  individualism  as 
applied  to  houses  one  must  be  careful  to  keep 
the  commercial  aspect  of  the  case  carefully 
in  mind.  For  while  a  man  of  ample  means 
would  be  entirely  justified  in  proceeding  to 
any  extreme  in  departure  from  commonly  ac- 
cepted precedent  in  the  arrangement  or  dec- 
oration of  his  home,  those  less  fortunately 
situated  must  be  cautious  not  to  carry  this  so 
far  that  the  house  will  not  appeal  to  anyone 
else.  Much  difficulty  might  be  encountered  in 
its  sale  or  rental  should  this  ever  be  necessary. 
Yet  it  is  entirely  possible,  within  the  limits 
set  by  average  demand,  to  give  every  house 
such  a  degree  of  distinction,  individuality,  and 
refinement,  as  would  instantly  appeal  to  in- 
quiring tenants  or  purchasers.  In  this  way 
houses  would  possess  a  real  charm  which 
would  markedly  enhance  their  market  value. 


«6  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

INDIVIDUALITY 

The  writer  was  invited  not  long  ago,  while 
about  to  start  out  for  a  walk  in  the  country, 
to  inspect  a  friend's  house  then  nearing  com- 
pletion and  almost  ready  for  occupancy. 
The  locality  was  an  unfamiliar  one  and  the 
exterior  of  the  house,  so  far  as  its  type  was 
concerned,  was  one  to  be  met  with  pretty 
generally.  On  reaching  the  indicated  place 
three  or  four  houses  in  about  the  same  ad- 
vanced stage  of  completion  were  found  and 
it  seemed  for  a  moment  as  if  there  might  be 
some  difficulty  in  determining  just  which 
house  was  the  object  of  the  search.  In  walk- 
ing by  the  new  houses  however  one  attracted 
instant  attention  because  it  showed  even  on 
casual  examination,  certain  fine  qualities 
related  rather  to  delicacy  of  detail  and  careful 
study  of  proportions  than  to  distinction  of 
type.  This  made  it  absolutely  certain  that 
the  house  showing  these  qualities  was  the  one 
sought  for  because  they  were  qualities  which 
distinguished  the  man  for  whom  the  house 
was  built.  Subsequently  it  appeared  that  the 
correct  house  had  been  picked  out.  It  ought 
to  give  the  highest  degree  of  satisfaction  to 
every  houseowner  that  his  character  and  taste 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  27 

are  very  visibly  expressed  even  in  the  exterior 
of  his  dwelling  place.  The  house  referred 
to  above  was  a  small  one  and  inexpensive, — 
but  its  characteristics  were  unmistakable. 


LOOK  FOR  CONVENIENCE,  NOT  SIZE 

There  is  one  principle  related  to  the  subject- 
matter  of  this  chapter  which  is  so  fundamental 
in  its  character  that  it  is  necessary  to  call  the 
reader's  attention  to  it  at  the  outset  of  his 
study  of  the  entire  problem.  From  every 
point  of  view  it  will  always  be  found  far 
more  satisfactory  to  bend  all  one's  efforts  to- 
wards securing  a  smaller  but  well  equipped  and 
conveniently  arranged  house  rather  than  one 
which,  though  larger  in  its  accommodation  is 
but  meager  in  its  appointments.  The  family 
will  derive  much  satisfaction  from  a  house, 
even  though  its  plan  may  necessitate  some 
slight  crowding,  if  it  contain  all  of  the  es- 
sential conveniences  of  a  larger  house,  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  these  be  lacking,  no 
amount  of  mere  floor  space  can  compensate 
for  the  many  irritations  which  will  hourly 
arise  when  the  house  lacks  its  proper  equip- 
ment. 

The  fault  of  most  small  houses  is  that  they 


28  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ape  the  plan  arrangement  of  the  large  house 
when  every  consideration  of  economy  makes 
it  impossible  to  use  such  a  plan  in  the  way 
that  the  large  house  implies.  Small  houses 
have,  or  should  have,  characteristic  plans  of 
their  own.  Small  drafty  halls,  for  example, 
with  a  travesty  of  a  fireplace  are  absurd;  but 
if  there  be  a  few  large  rooms,  each  of  which 
has  a  distinct  use,  from  every  point  of  view 
they  will  afford  greater  satisfaction  than  will 
a  greater  number  of  smaller  rooms,  the  dis- 
tinction between  which  is  purely  artificial  and 
not  justified  by  the  actual  social  habits  of  the 
family  occupying  the  small  house. 

If  the  occupants  of  small  modern  houses 
would  face  the  real  facts  of  existence  and 
determine  to  so  build  or  rearrange  them  as 
to  meet  those  facts,  the  whole  problem  would 
be  solved  and  the  caution  just  given  would 
be  unnecessary.  But  tradition  is  so  powerful, 
that  nine  men  out  of  ten  will  "  go  along " 
and  wonder  why  the  house  is  so  uncomfort- 
able. 

All  of  the  problems  connected,  with  the 
building  and  the  use  of  a  house  would  be 
properly  solved,  if  we  always  made  it  a  fixed 
rule  to  first  determine  frankly  and  accurately 
what  particular  need  has  to  be  met,  and  then 


HOUSE  AND  HOME  29 

meet  it  with  equal  frankness.  One  should, 
however,  always  make  sure,  before  a  final  de- 
cision is  reached,  that  every  side  of  the  problem 
has  been  considered. 

In  a  word  —  sincerity  of  purpose  through- 
out the  entire  problem,  not  only  in  planning 
but  in  construction  and  decoration  as  well, 
is  the  key  to  success.  Proceeding  in  any 
other  direction  will  result  in  dissatisfaction 
or  even  actual  disaster. 


CHAPTER  III 

WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE? 

Where  the  wage  earner  or  salaried  man 
may  live  will  always  be  largely  determined  by 
local  and  often  accidental  circumstance,  and 
freedom  of  choice  in  this  matter  will  vary 
directly  with  the  ratio  of  excess  of  receipts 
over  expenditures.  For  the  city  worker, 
when  any  choice  can  be  exercised,  the  ques- 
tion whether  he  may  occupy  an  urban  or  a 
suburban  house  will  usually  be  answered  on 
the  ground  of  individual  preference.  If  the 
latter  choice  is  made,  there  are  sure  to  be 
half  a  dozen  suburban  towns,  widely  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  and  offering  very 
diverse  attractions,  yet  in  equal  relation  as  to 
time  and  cost  of  transportation  to  the  office. 
The  certainty  of  congenial  social  surround- 
ings; some  aspect  of  rural  life  especially  ap- 
pealing to  the  individual  taste;  possibly  even 
the  relatively  greater  convenience  of  one  ter- 
minal station  over  another  or  the  relative  fre- 
quency of  suburban  train  service  —  on  some 
30 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     31 

such  ground  the  choice  is  usually  made.  Yet 
with  these  more  or  less  sentimental  consider- 
ations we  are  not  wholly  concerned.  It  is 
rather  the  question  of  "  site  "  in  its  technical, 
restricted,  and  physical  sense  that  occupies  us. 


THE  SITE 

In  considering  the  site  of  the  suburban 
house  the  following  points  which  affect  resi- 
dential values  should  be  given  the  most  care- 
ful attention: 

1.  Transportation  facilities  between  the  dis- 
trict in  which  the  proposed  house  is  situated 
and  the  office. 

2.  Relation  of  the  house  itself  to  the  rail- 
way station  or  trolley  lines. 

3.  General  character  of  the  neighborhood 
in  which  the  house  is  situated,  and  the  general 
relation  of  this  to  the  nearest  manufacturing 
district,  if  any. 

4.  Character  of  the  traffic  on  railway  and 
trolley  lines,  if  nearby. 

5.  Condition  of  the  street  or  highway  on 
which  the  home  is  located. 

6.  Physical  condition  of  the  lot  on  which 
the  house  is  built;  noting  also  that  of  adjoin- 
ing lots. 


82  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

DISTANCE   FROM    WORK 

Forty-five  minutes  from  the  house  to  the 
office  is  the  extremest  limit  to  which  the  sub- 
urban commuter  can  afford  to  stretch  the 
daily  tax  upon  his  time  and  physical  energy, 
so  far  as  the  transportation  question  is  con- 
cerned. Thirty  minutes  is  far  more  reason- 
able, and  should  be  regarded  as  the  allowable 
mean.  Only  exceptional  advantages  of  a 
compensating  nature  should  induce  him  to  ex- 
ceed it.  Some  distinction  may  indeed  be 
made  in  favor  of  comfortable  and  wholesome 
transportation  in  a  suburban  steam  or  electric 
train  of  clean  cars  and  ample  train  capacity  as 
against  the  crowded,  dirty,  and  ill  ventilated 
cars  of  the  usual  type  of  urban  trolley  serv- 
ice. Forty  minutes  in  the  former  will  be  far 
less  fatiguing  as  a  daily  experience  than  half 
that  time  spent  in  the  latter,  with  the  added 
safeguard  from  exposure  to  contagious  dis- 
ease to  which  every  rider  in  the  urban  car  is 
constantly  subjected.  Yet,  forty-five  min- 
utes between  the  house  and  the  office 
diminishes  the  available  time  for  rest  and 
recreation  at  home  which,  under  modern  busi- 
ness conditions,  is  being  constantly  reduced 
below  what  must  be  regarded  as  safe  limits. 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     33 

Frequently  there  will  be  some  choice  of  trans- 
portation service  to  town,  and  the  relative 
merits  of  these  and  their  several  relations  to 
any  house  under  consideration  should  not  be 
overlooked. 


THE  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

The  facilities  of  getting  easily  and  quickly 
from  the  house  to  the  point  where  the  train  or 
trolley  is  taken  is  important.  The  trip  to  and 
fro  will  be  made  twice  daily  for  every  work- 
ing day  in  the  year  and  under  all  possible  con- 
ditions of  weather.  What  may  seem,  with 
reference  to  a  single  trip,  some  minor  ad- 
vantage of  sheltered  walk,  or  slightly  lessened 
distance,  becomes  of  much  importance  when 
the  year's  journeys  are  taken  into  account. 
Even  a  short  walk  along  a  bleak  highway  ex- 
posed to  the  full  sweep  of  the  winter's  gale 
or  the  hottest  downpour  of  the  midsummer 
sun,  becomes  justly  magnified  into  a  serious 
fault  in  its  relation  to  some  otherwise  desir- 
able house.  If  there  are  children  in  the 
family,  their  walks  to  and  from  school  must 
also  enter  into  the  problem. 

As  between  houses  at  differing  distances 
from  town  there  is  not  only  to  be  considered 


34  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

the  relative  difference  in  the  cost  of  transpor- 
tation, but  also  the  fact  that  the  seating 
capacity  of  suburban  trolley  service  is  not 
always  carefully  estimated  for  the  nearer 
residential  districts,  and  the  further  out  one 
lives  the  more  certainty  there  is  of  always 
getting  a  comfortable  seat  into  town  in  the 
morning,  and  for  most  of  the  distance  out  in 
the  evening.  As  between  different  suburban 
districts,  consideration  should  be  given  to  the 
relative  records  of  the  several  transportation 
companies  for  keeping  their  lines  open  in 
winter  storms,  or  regularity  of  service  at  all 
times  of  the  year  and,  of  course  as  to  conven- 
ient hours  of  service. 


NEIGHBORHOOD 

In  determining  the  availability  of  any  house 
under  consideration,  the  general  character  of 
the  neighborhood  would  be  justly  regarded 
of  the  first  importance.  This  is  easily  de- 
termined by  inspection,  and  well  kept  grounds 
and  houses,  however  modest  in  scale,  and  well 
kept  streets,  should  be  deemed  an  indispensable 
accompaniment  of  the  new  home.  One  must 
not  forget,  though,  that  these  very  desirable 
accompaniments  may,  and  often  do,  mean  that 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     35 

the  neighborhood  is  a  growing  one.  This  is 
most  certainly  indicated  by  any  unusual  num- 
ber of  new  houses  going  up,  and  new  streets 
being  laid  out.  The  disadvantage  of  this 
state  of  affairs  is  that  rents  are  certain  to  rise 
year  by  year,  and  such  a  locality,  however 
charming,  is  a  better  place  to  buy  or  build  in 
than  to  rent  in.  But  the  availability  of  any 
residential  neighborhood  is  not  finally  de- 
termined by  its  immediate  surroundings. 
Some  other  neighborhood,  seemingly  remote, 
may,  under  certain  conditions  (of  weather,  for 
example)  be  brought  into  an  immediate  and 
very  detrimental  relation  to  an  otherwise 
seemingly  desirable  part  of  the  town.  Manu- 
facturing establishments,  even  at  some  little 
distance,  may,  under  certain  conditions  of 
wind  or  temperature,  overwhelm  the  resi- 
dential quarter  of  the  district  with  soot-laden 
smoke,  noxious  and  ill-smelling  fumes,  or  even 
the  noise  of  their  operations  —  especially  if 
night  shifts  are  working.  Detrimental  ele- 
ments of  this  nature  can  only  be  certainly 
determined  by  repeated  inspection  of  the  prop- 
erty under  consideration  at  various  times  of 
the  day,  days  of  the  week,  or  states  of  the 
weather.  Such  a  minute  examination  is  not 
always   possible.     One   must   depend   on   the 


S6  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

testimony  of  former  occupants  of  the  house 
if  available,  or  of  actual  residents;  though 
these  latter,  being  anxious  to  dispose  of 
their  property,  will  probably  try  to  evade 
direct  answers  to  awkward  questions.  One  of 
the  most  significant  indications  is  the  display 
of  an  unusual  number  of  "to  rent "  or  "  for 
sale  "  signs  on  the  houses  in  any  residential 
neighborhood.  It  is  usually  an  unfailing  in- 
dication of  some  change  of  character  in  the 
neighborhood,  Impending  or  accomplished, 
which  makes  the  inhabitants  anxious  to  get 
away. 

NEIGHBORS,  NOISE,  AND  SMOKE 

Then  as  to  the  character  of  the  traffic  on 
nearby  railway  or  trolley  lines.  In  one  or 
two  cases  which  have  come  under  the  author's 
observation,  an  otherwise  attractive  residential 
neighborhood  has  been  rendered  quite  un- 
desirable by  the  presence  of  noisy  and  even 
seriously  disorderly  crowds  of  excursionists 
returning  late  at  night  and  on  Sundays  from 
a  park  or  outdoor  resort  of  the  cheaper  class 
at  some  little  distance  further  out  the  line. 
Such  people  will  straggle  along  the  road  in 
front  of  the  house  on  foot,  or  go  by  with 
loud  shouts  on  bicycles,  or  on  the  trolley  cars. 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     37 

The  entire  neighborhood  is  sure  to  be  disturbed 
by  the  disgraceful  conduct  of  these  disorderly 
classes  until  late  at  night.  This  detrimental 
element  is  much  more  serious  than  might  be 
imagined  by  those  who  have  never  undergone 
the  experience,  and  is  sufficient  to  absolutely 
exclude  any  property  subject  to  the  annoyance 
from  further  consideration.  On  railway  lines 
such  conduct  would  not,  of  course  be  toler- 
ated, but  these  may  still  be  the  source  of  a 
serious  annoyance  of  quite  another  character. 
Railway  freight  is,  so  far  as  possible,  run  at 
night  while  the  lines  are  relatively  clear  from 
passenger  traffic.  This  in  itself  is  not  a 
source  of  serious  annoyance,  except  on  those 
roads  where  skillful  and  efficient  methods  of 
management  have  not  developed,  and  where 
the  shrill  whistle  of  the  freight  engine  seems 
an  indispensable  accompaniment  of  every 
movement.  In  certain  stages  of  the  wind, 
especially  of  the  moisture  laden  southerly  and 
easterly  winds,  this  incessant  whistling  may 
cause  annoyance  at  considerable  distances 
from  its  point  of  origin.  If  the  house  is  near 
busy  railway  lines  much  discomfort  may  also 
be  caused  by  clouds  of  smoke,  in  which  most 
roads  still  waste  an  appreciable  amount  of 
their    fuel    expenditures.     The    greasy    soot 


38  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

from  this  smoke  will  not  only  pervade  the 
house  indoors,  but  will  spread  a  perceptible 
pall  over  lawn  and  garden,  dimming  the  colors 
of  the  flowers,  distinctly  lowering  the  vitality 
of  all  forms  of  vegetation,  and  rendering 
that  form  of  rural  relaxation  known  as  "  sit- 
ting on  the  grass  "  quite  out  of  the  question. 
Where  an  all  night  service  on  a  single  trolley 
track  is  maintained,  it  is  a  distinct  disadvan- 
tage to  have  a  passing  point  or  switch  in 
front  of  one's  house.  Such  places  are  always 
noisy. 

WHAT  SORT  OF  A  STREET  ? 

The  physical  condition  of  the  street  or  high- 
way of  whatever  kind  that  lies  in  front  of 
the  house  is  of  importance  as  an  element  of 
value.  It  should  be  paved  as  to  its  sidewalks, 
if  it  have  any,  or  be  at  least  macadamized  if 
a  simple  country  road.  If  it  be  the  latter,  and. 
especially  if  it  be  a  convenient  line  of  com- 
munication between  important  towns,  it  is 
likely  to  be  extensively  used  by  motor  cars. 
In  this  case  it  should  be  treated  with  tarvia, 
terracoleo,  or  some  other  of  the  asphaltum 
compounds  to  make  it  dust  proof.  Other- 
wise, the  garden  and  the  house  will  be  en- 
veloped in  clouds  of  dust  all  day  long  during 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     39 

dry  weather.  An  unpaved  country  road  which 
may  look  exceedingly  attractive  in  fine 
weather  will,  unless  of  sandy  soil,  become  little 
better  than  a  morass  in  wet  weather,  both  in 
summer  and  winter.  On  such  a  road,  the 
daily  journeys  to  and  from  the  station,  or  for 
the  children  going  and  coming  from  school, 
become  in  the  highest  degree  vexatious. 

It  might  be  well,  too,  to  make  sure  that  the 
highway  in  front  of  the  house  is  not  a  por- 
tion of  a  traffic  route  between  a  stone  quarry, 
brickyard,  or  other  similar  busy  place,  whose 
products  must  be  hauled  daily  and  continu- 
ously to  a  market;  clouds  of  dust  in  dry 
weather,  deep  ruts  in  wet,  and  incessant  noise 
and  clamor  will  be  attendant  elements  of  dis- 
comfort. 

THE  LOT 

Turning  our  attention  finally  to  the  lot  it- 
self, upon  which  the  house  is  built,  the  follow- 
ing points  should  be  carefully  considered.  Is 
it  lower  than  the  highway  or  the  adjoining 
lots?  This  has  reference  not  only  to  the 
certainty  of  washing  upon  the  lot  in  heavy  rain 
storms  from  surrounding  properties,  but  to 
the  fact  that  a  relatively  low  level  is  an  in- 
dication   of    possible    underground    streams 


40  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

which  may  dampen  or  even  overflow  the 
cellar  during  the  winter  and  spring.  The 
washing  of  surface  soil  from  adjoining  lots 
will  often  seriously  interfere  with  the  garden 
arrangements  and  is  always  difficult  to  deal 
with.  During  the  spring  thaws,  too,  and  in 
heavy  rainstorms,  puddles  will  form  on  the 
lot  in  the  most  inconvenient  places,  and  the 
paths  may  be  kept  in  a  well-nigh  impassable 
condition.  Therefore,  no  matter  how  at- 
tractive the  lot  may  look  during  fine  weather 
avoid  it  if  its  general  grade  is  below  its  neigh- 
bors. The  condition  of  the  fences  or  other 
physical  boundaries  of  the  lot  should  receive 
attention,  and  the  owner  required  to  put  them 
in  good  order.  The  walks  and  paths,  both 
front  and  rear,  should  be  reviewed  for  similar 
treatment,  if  necessary.  If  any  choice  is  of- 
fered between  lots  of  larger  and  smaller  size, 
the  larger  should  be  chosen  if  the  labor  of 
keeping  it  in  good  order  will  not  prove  too 
burdensome  either  on  person  or  purse.  The 
larger  lot  gives  freer  and  more  abundant  air 
and  sunshine  about  the  house,  and  less  ob- 
trusive neighbors,  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  country  "  yards  "  require  more  attention, 
relatively,  than  do  those  in  the  city;  and  this 
is  because  more  must  be  attempted  in  the  way 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     41 

of  ornamental  gardening  in  the  country  than 
is  required  in  the  city,  if  the  house  is  to  look 
as  though  it  belonged  to  its  surroundings. 
The  general  question  of  the  garden  will  be 
dealt  with  in  another  chapter. 

Residential  districts  which,  as  a  whole,  are 
relatively  low  lying,  are  less  agreeable  and 
healthful  than  those  occupying  higher  ground. 
They  are  hotter  in  summer,  though  perhaps 
less  bleak  in  winter,  but  are  sure  to  be  damp 
at  all  times  of  the  year.  Sites  in  valleys  are 
sometimes  cool  on  summer  nights,  owing  to 
the  prevalence  in  many  such  localities  of  a 
night  downdraught  of  air  flowing  from  the 
hillsides  to  the  valley  bottom.  This  is  espe- 
cially likely  to  be  the  case  if  there  be  a  river 
or  lake  in  the  valley.  Houses  on  or  near 
hill  tops  are  not  to  be  recommended  as  winter 
residences  on  account  of  their  excessive  ex- 
posure but,  if  well  shaded,  they  will  be  cooler 
in  summer,  spring,  and  fall,  than  lower  lying 
sites,  especially  after  sundown.  If  lying  part 
way  up  a  hillside  slope,  care  must  be  taken  to 
see  that  the  property  does  not  include  wet  or 
swampy  places,  due  to  outcroppings  of  im- 
pervious strata.  These  may  take  place  at  the 
surface,  or  worse  still,  against  a  cellar  wall 
below  grade,  where  the  outflow  of  water  can- 


4a  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

not  be  adequately  dealt  with  except  at  a  very 
considerable  expense.  Everyone  who  knows 
his  countryside  is  familiar  with  these  hillside 
swamps  and  springs. 

Sites  for  houses  in  the  city  are  subject  to 
more  limited  consideration  from  our  present 
point  of  view.  So  far  as  the  points  bearing 
on  the  value  of  rural  sites  have  application, 
they  are  of  equal  force  in  the  urban  districts; 
but  few  of  them  are  applicable,  owing  to  the 
physical  restrictions  of  city  sites.  Aside  from 
the  more  sentimental  considerations  which  af- 
fect site  values  in  the  city,  the  chief  elements 
of  value  are  mainly  determined  on  purely 
sanitary  grounds.  Perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant element  is  the  following:  Vital  sta- 
tistics in  New  York  indicate  (what  might  have 
been  expected  on  theoretical  grounds)  that 
houses  on  the  north  side  of  east- west  streets 
are  more  healthful  than  those  on  the  south 
side;  that  north-south  streets,  taken  as  a  class, 
report  fewer  cases  of  sickness  than  those  on 
east-west  streets;  and  that  houses  near  street 
corners  show  a  better  health  record  than  those 
occupying  the  middle  of  the  block.  In  spite 
of  these  facts  houses  on  one  side  of  the  street 
often  find  takers  as  easily  as  those  on  the  other, 
though  this  should  not  be  the  case. 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     43 

TOWN,   OR   COUNTRY? 

With  regard  to  the  general  question  of 
"  town,  or  country,"  (including  in  the  latter 
term  the  less  crowded  suburban  districts),  it 
may  be  said  in  conclusion  that  the  determina- 
tion as  to  which  presents  the  greater  advan- 
tage, is,  in  its  last  analysis,  largely  one  of 
individual  taste  and  temperament.  In  residen- 
tial country  districts,  such  as  are  usually  pos- 
sible for  the  city  worker,  we  are  likely  to  find, 
in  common  with  the  city,  paved  and  lighted 
streets,  good  water,  gas  or  electric  lighting 
for  the  house,  and  often  both.  As  compared 
with  town,  we  have  purer  air,  larger  yards, 
with  the  possibility  of  an  ornamental  flower 
garden,  or  even  of  a  kitchen  garden  if  one  be 
so  inclined;  freedom  from  city  noise;  and 
readier  access  to  the  purely  rural  districts  for 
outdoor  recreation.  In  addition  to  this,  if 
suburban  transportation  be  properly  developed 
we  are  no  further  away  from  the  office,  in 
point  of  time,  with  more  comfortable  service. 
On  the  other  hand,  though  rents  are  lower  in 
the  country,  food  and  fuel  are  usually  some- 
what higher,  with  the  local  markets  more  re- 
stricted both  in  scope  and  capacity.  Much 
must  be  bought  in  town  and  some  of  the  pur- 


44  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

chases  "  personally  conducted  "  to  the  home. 
Schools  for  the  children  are  apt  to  be  less  sat- 
isfactory in  the  country,  and  will  be  certainly 
less  easy  of  access.     Town  amusements  are 
only  attainable  at  the  sacrifice  of  much  time 
and  patience.     Society  is  more  restricted   in 
its  scope,  though  less  formal  in  its  require- 
ments.    Church-going  and  getting  about  gen- 
erally in  the  country  are  difficult  at  times,  un- 
less one  has  some  sort  of  conveyance.     Taxes 
are  lower  in  the  country,  but  one  has  less  ade- 
quate protection  to  person  and  property  —  a 
condition  frequently  giving  rise  to  a  good  deal 
of   justifiable    anxiety.     In    stormy    weather, 
especially   in   winter,   every   member    of   the 
family  is  more  restricted   in  outdoor  move- 
ment, and  the  question  of  exposure  becomes, 
especially  for  the  less  robust  and  for  the  chil- 
dren,  one   of  serious  concern.     Medical   at- 
tendance is  often  quite  as  good  as  in  the  coun- 
try, but  less  quickly  available.     The  servant 
question  is  more  acute  in  the  country,  and  is 
almost  certain  to  be  a  source  of  continual  vex- 
ation.    For  the  business   man  himself   "  the 
country "   means   little  more  than  "  catching 
trains,"  and  he  really  sees  little  of  it  except  on 
Sundays  and  holidays. 

As  to  the  general  question  of  the  relative 


WHERE  SHALL  THE  HOUSE  BE?     45 

health  fulness  of  town  and  country  for  the  city 
worker,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  countryside,  tak- 
ing all  things  into  consideration,  really  pre- 
sents any  marked  advantage  over  the  city.^ 

MORAL  ADVANTAGES 

On  which  side  lies  the  moral  advantage 
seems  to  the  writer  also  a  debatable  question. 
For  the  younger  children,  country  upbringing 
is  perhaps  more  wholesome,  but  as  they  grow 
older  it  is  very  doubtful  if  such  a  conclusion 
is  warranted.  Rural  simplicity  and  inno- 
cence are  largely  a  product  of  the  imagination 
of  those  who  only  know  the  countryside  in  its 
superficial  aspects  as  summer  visitors.  Op- 
portunity for  the  viciously  disposed  is,  in  one 
form  or  another,  ready  to  hand  in  either  en- 
vironment, and  the  trend  of  thought  of  the 
younger  set  among  the  country  bred  is,  so  far 
as  the  writer's  observation  serves,  less  whole- 
some and  broadening  than  among  similar  peo- 
ple in  the  city.  It  is  certain  that  for  those 
accustomed   to   the   city's   ways    since   early 

^  The  London  Builder  has  recently  reported  the  con- 
clusions of  one  of  the  health  officers  of  London  who 
seriously  questions  the  advantages  of  suburban  life  for 
city  workers,  pointing  out  more  especially  the  damage 
to  the  nervous  and  circulatory  systems  caused  by  the 
incessant  travel  to  and  fro. 


46  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

childhood,  there  is  far  greater  poise  and  sta- 
bility of  character  when  exposed  to  the  op- 
portunity of  going  wrong,  since  they  have 
continually  been  so  since  they  began  to  ob- 
serve for  themselves. 

There  is  no  swifter  descent  than  that  of 
young  men  who  are  so  easily  thrown  off 
their  moral  balance  by  the  wholly  false 
glamour  of  the  city's  temptations  when  sud- 
denly exposed  to  them;  while  those  who  are 
city  bred  have  long  since  learned  to  estimate 
such  things  as  they  really  are.  Nevertheless, 
the  attraction  of  the  countryside  will  prove 
irresistible  to  many  discriminating  men  and 
women,  and  their  response  to  such  a  call  can 
after  all  only  be  regarded  as  the  sign  of  a 
wholesome  nature.  There  are  undeniable 
rural  attractions,  and  if  one  adopts  the  proper 
attitude  toward  country  life,  taking  it  for  what 
it  is  and  striving  to  understand  it  and  get  the 
best  out  of  it,  by  resisting  its  narrowing  tenden- 
cies, perhaps  no  one  is  justified  in  saying  that, 
for  this  or  that  individual  or  family,  life  in 
the  city  is  preferable  to  life  in  the  country. 


CHAPTER  IV 

SUNSHINE   AND    VIEW 

Fresh  air  and  sunshine  are  the  necessary 
accompaniments  of  the  wholesome  house.  Let 
us  see  how  they  may  be  best  attained  under 
practical  conditions. 

For  the  country  house,  standing  free  and 
detached  on  all  sides,  fresh  air  and  sunshine 
are  natural  adjuncts.  It  is  only  when  one's 
lot  is  restricted  in  size  and  hemmed  in  by 
overshadowing  neighbors,  that  knowledge  of 
fundamental  principles  of  hygiene,  and  skill 
in  applying  such  knowledge  to  the  particular 
case  in  hand  become  of  really  vital  importance. 

PROSPECT   AND   ASPECT 

There  are  two  technical  terms  used  to  clas- 
sify the  qualities  inherent  in  all  forms  of  the 
exposure  of  the  house  to  its  surroundings. 
These  terms  are  "  prospect,"  and  "  aspect." 
Prospect  has  to  do  with  the  relations  of  the 
house  to  surrounding  terrestial  objects,  far  or 
47 


48  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

near;  while  aspect  concerns  Itself  with  the  ex- 
posure of  the  house  to  the  sunshine  and  the 
weather  conditions  which  prevail  in  any  par- 
ticular locality  under  consideration.  When 
surrounding  objects  are  natural  and  remote, 
the  question  usually  resolves  itself  into  one  of 
view  which,  though  a  sentimental  considera- 
tion, has  a  marked  influence  on  property  val- 
ues. Of  a  similar  nature  are  clumps  of  trees, 
springs,  and  picturesque  features  generally,  or, 
it  may  be,  those  of  a  more  utilitarian  nature, 
but  all  elements  of  value.  With  objects 
nearer  at  hand,  the  question  must  sometimes 
be  considered  from  a  different  point  of  view, 
an  estimate  being  made  of  the  detrimental 
effect  upon  the  house  of  the  proximity  of  such 
objects.  If  a  stable,  for  example,  immedi- 
ately adjoins  the  lot  on  one  side,  means  must 
be  taken  to  minimize  its  objectionable  effects 
by  planting  out,  or  by  so  arranging  the  rela- 
tive positions  of  the  house  and  garden  that 
the  house  will  be  as  far  removed  as  possible, 
or  by  some  other  suitable  means. 


W 


Fig.  I.    North  Wall,  June  21. 


SUNSHINE  AND  VIEW  49 


HJCA,!* 


7.»o  A.M. 


Fig.  2.    East  Wall, 
June  21 


Fig.  3.    East  Wall, 
Dec.  21. 


G....i^:;., 


'in 


Fife.  4.    South  Wall,  June  21,  8^  hours. 


^7a«4.H. 


Fig.  5.    South  Wall,  Dec.  21,  9  hours. 


50 


THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 


7-i.m 


Fig.   6.    West   Wall, 
June   21,   71/2   hours. 


Fig.  7.    West  Wall, 
Dec.  21,  4J/2  hours. 


We  have  already  seen  that  distant  manu- 
facturing establishments  or  railways,  or  a 
much  traveled  highway  in  front  of  the  house, 
may  prove  objectionable  under  certain  con- 
ditions. To  all  of  such  conditions  with  which 
prospect  has  to  do,  due  regard  must  be  paid  if 
the  fullest  possible  value  of  the  site  is  to  be 
realized.  Examples  of  the  best  treatment  in 
particular  cases  will  be  shown  hereafter. 


THE  AMOUNT  OF  SUNSHINE 

With    the    question    of    sunshine,    and    of 
weather  conditions  generally,  we  must  proceed 


SUNSHINE  AND  VIEW  51 

on  different  lines.  Let  us  first  consider  the 
relative  exposure  to  sunshine  of  the  four  walls 
of  a  house  with  reference  to  the  four  cardinal 
points  of  the  compass.  Diagrams  will  help  us 
here  to  a  quicker  appreciation  of  this  point. 

Figures  i  to  7  show  the  four  walls  of  a 
house  which  face  the  four  cardinal  points  — 
north,  east,  south,  and  west.  Relative  to  these 
walls  are  drawn  "  sunshine  arcs  "  which  show 
at  a  glance  how  long  is  the  period,  for  each 
wall,  during  which  the  sun  shines  directly 
upon  the  wall  at  different  seasons  of  the  year. 
These  are,  the  summer  solstice  on  the  21st  of 
June;  the  winter  solstice  on  the  21st  of  De- 
cember; and  the  vernal  and  autumnal  equi- 
noxes on  the  2 1  St  of  March  and  September 
respectively.  For  the  north  wall  of  the  house, 
only  the  duration  of  sunshine  for  the  21st  of 
June  is  shown.  The  total  amount  on  that, 
the  longest,  summer's  day,  is  six  hours  and 
forty  minutes,  divided  into  two  equal  periods 
of  sunrise  and  sunset.  As  the  rays  fall  very 
obliquely  on  the  wall  both  in  the  morning  and 
afternoon  periods  their  hygienic  value  is 
greatly  lessened  as  compared  with  the  other 
walls.  From  the  21st  of  September  to  the  21st 
of  the  following  March  the  north  wall  will 
receive  no  sunshine  whatever.     On  the  longest 


62  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

day  in  summer  the  east  wall  is  exposed  to  the 
sun  for  seven  and  one-half  hours.^ 

On  the  shortest  day  of  winter  the  east  wall 
can  receive  four  and  one-half  hours  of  sun- 
shine, but  this  will  be  somewhat  diminished 
by  the  mists  and  fogs  of  the  early  winter 
morning.  In  summer,  the  sun  will  shine  upon 
the  south  wall  for  eight  hours  and  forty  min- 
utes, and  in  winter  for  about  an  equal  period 
if  the  entire  day  be  clear.  The  west  wall  is 
exposed  to  the  sun's  rays  for  seven  and  one- 
half  hours  on  the  21st  of  June,  but  on  win- 
ter's shortest  day  this  period  has  been  dimin- 
ished to  four  and  one-half  hours. 

Before  estimating  the  relative  values  of 
these  sunshine  periods  one  other  element  must 
be  taken  into  consideration,  namely,  the  alti- 
tude of  the  sun  at  different  times  of  the 
year.  On  the  21st  of  June  the  sun  attains  at 
noon  an  altitude  above  the  southern  horizon 
of  about  74°.  At  the  winter  solstice  this  has 
been  lessened  to  24°.  The  significance  for 
our  present  purpose  of  these  differences  in  alti- 
tude lies  in  the  fact  that  in  summer,  when  the 
sun  is  hottest,  its  rays  do  not  penetrate  very 

1  The  sunlight  periods  are  approximate,  disregarding 
astronomical  exactness,  and  are  calculated  for  latitude 
40°  N. 


SUNSHINE  AND  VIEW  53 

far  into  the  south  windows  of  the  house, 
while  in  winter,  when  its  warmth  is  most  wel- 
come, and  when  it  shines  upon  the  south  wall 
of  the  house  for  an  even  longer  period  than  in 
summer,  it  will,  under  usual  conditions  of  win- 
dow opening,  shine  half-way  across  the  floor  of 
the  room. 

It  is  this  same  difference  in  altitude,  again, 
which  makes  the  western  rooms  of  a  house  so 
undesirable  in  summer;  since  the  low  and  in- 
tensely hot  rays  of  the  afternoon  sun  will 
penetrate  to  the  remotest  corners  of  all  rooms 
on  that  side  of  the  house. 


THE  BEST  WAY  TO  PLACE  A  HOUSE 

If  diagrams  similar  to  those  previously 
shown  should  be  drawn  for  the  walls  of  a 
house  which  faced  the  intermediate  points 
of  the  compass  —  that  is  to  say,  northeast, 
southeast,  southwest,  and  northwest  —  it  would 
be  found  that  a  house  so  placed  has  several 
distinct  advantages  over  one  in  the  first  po- 
sition. There  will  be,  for  instance,  no  wall 
of  the  house  which  may  not  receive  direct 
sunlight  during  some  part  of  the  day  on 
every  day  of  the  year,  and  rooms  on  the 
southeast  and  southwest  corners  of  the  house 


54  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

will  receive  much  more  sunshine  than  is  pos- 
sible for  rooms  in  any  other  position.  A 
southwest  room,  for  example  will  receive  di- 
rect sunshine  from  sunrise  to  sunset  on  the 
longest  day  in  summer  as  well  as  on  the  short- 
est day  in  winter. 

During  the  summer  months,  the  prevailing 
winds  are  southerly  with  a  tendency  to  west- 
erly; and  all  day  rains  will  come  with  east- 
erly winds  —  either  southeast  or  north- 
east. Northerly  and  especially  northwesterly 
breezes  are  rare  in  summer.  In  winter  the 
prevailing  winds  are  westerly  with  a  tendency 
to  northerly.  Easterly  storms  in  winter  are 
accompanied  by  rising  temperature,  but  the 
winds  soon  shift  to  northwesterly  with  rapidly 
falling  temperatures  and  sometimes  with  bliz- 
zard conditions. 

All  of  these  meteorological  conditions  af- 
fect in  the  most  important  way  the  disposition 
of  the  house  plan,  both  from  a  strictly  sani- 
tary point  of  view  as  well  as  from  that  of  the 
relative  agreeableness  of  the  rooms  on  the  sev- 
eral sides  of  the  house  as  they  may  be  as- 
signed to  one  purpose  or  another.  It  can  be 
seen  therefore  that  the  question  whether  the 
principal  rooms  of  a  house  face  in  one  direc- 
tion or  another  is  of  decided  consequence,  and 


SUNSHINE  AND  VIEW  56 

the  relative  values  of  houses  or  suites  of 
apartments  is  very  materially  affected  thereby. 
The  very  question  of  view,  also,  has  an  ele- 
ment of  distinctly  hygienic  value  on  account 
of  the  direct  influence  which  it  has  on  most 
temperaments  for  good  or  ill.  Lord  Bacon 
has  well  expressed  this  idea  in  his  essay  "  On 
Building."  He  says :  — "  He  that  builds  a 
fair  house  upon  an  ill  seat,  committeth  him- 
self to  prison."  A  bright,  cheerful,  interest- 
ing outlook  from  the  house  will  very  percepti- 
bly affect  the  spirits  of  the  household,  and  this 
inspiration  will  be  daily  renewed  as  new 
charms  are  discovered  under  the  myriad 
changes  of  light  and  season,  and  will  count  as 
a  powerful  factor  in  maintaining  the  health 
of  the  household,  just  as  an  ugly  or  otherwise 
irritating  view  will  most  surely  have  a  contrary 
effect. 


CHAPTER  V 

HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT? 

The  question  at  the  head  of  the  chapter 
refers  to  the  materials  of  which  the  house  is 
built  and  the  way  they  are  put  together :  "  ma- 
terials and  workmanship,"  as  the  specifications 
say. 

When  renting  or  buying  a  ready-made  house 
careful  inspection  is  necessary  lest  we  suffer 
in  the  one  case,  positive  discomfort,  and  in  the 
other,  heavy  expense,  should  the  house  prove 
seriously  out  of  repair  after  the  bargain  is 
closed.  To  make  such  inspection  effective 
we  must  proceed  systematically,  and  the  out- 
side of  the  house  should  first  be  carefully  ex- 
amined. 

what  to  look  for 

Stone  walls  are  likely  to  have  the  mortar 
washed  out  of  the  joints,  requiring  repoint- 
ing  to  put  them  in  sound  condition.  This  is 
an  expensive  operation  if  properly  done,  as 
each  joint  must  be  gone  over  by  hand,  the 
56 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      67 

loose  mortar  raked  out  with  a  steel  tool,  the 
surface  well  wetted,  and  the  new  mortar 
pressed  in  hard  to  make  a  thorough  union  with 
the  old.  As  may  be  imagined,  the  expense  of 
this  operation  is  chiefly  due  to  the  time  neces- 
sary for  its  thorough  performance,  as  the 
workmen  must  be  swung  from  scaffolds  and 
these  gradually  lowered  as  the  work  proceeds. 
Cement  mortar  should  always  be  used  for 
pointing,  regardless  of  the  character  of  that  in 
which  the  stones  were  originally  laid.  Es- 
pecial attention  should  be  given  to  the  point- 
ing of  the  stone  foundation,  especially  at  or 
near  grade  as  the  ground  water  rising  in  the 
wall  at  this  point  is  likely  to  work  much  havoc. 
Brick  work,  unless  very  old  and  much  neg- 
lected, will  not  usually  require  pointing,  ex- 
cept about  the  chimneys,  and  especially  about 
the  tops  of  these.  It  should  be  noticed 
whether  the  chimneys  lean  perceptibly,  the  di- 
rection of  such  lean  being  usually  toward  the 
northeast,  due  to  the  combined  action  of  driv- 
ing rainstorms  and  frost.  In  brick  walls  the 
fuel  bill  in  winter  for  heating  may  be  ma- 
terially lessened  if  the  window  and  door 
frames  are  carefully  caulked  with  oakum  and 
afterwards  joined  with  cement  mortar.  Look 
out  especially  for  gaps  under  the  sills  on  the 


68  THE  FA^IILY  HOUSE 

outside.  Much  leakage  of  cold  air  in  windy 
weather  takes  place  around  the  door  and  win- 
dow frames,  and  this  is  not  an  economical 
method  of  ventilation. 

WHAT  CRACKS  IN  A  WALL  MEAN 

Cracks  in  the  masonry,  whether  of  brick  or 
stone,  should  be  carefully  looked  for,  but  only 
an  examination  extending  over  several  weeks 
or  months  can  usually  make  certain  whether 
the  movement  is  progressive  or  has  stopped. 
Ready  determination  of  the  significance  of 
these  cracks  may  be  made  by  an  imaginary 
line  drawn  at  right  angles  to  the  general  direc- 
tion of  the  cracks.  Such  lines  will  point  to- 
ward that  portion  of  the  wall  that  has  settled. 
For  example,  if  the  cracks  extend  from  the 
center  of  the  wall  upward  and  outward  to- 
ward the  corner  the  settlement  is  at  or  near 
that  corner.  On  the  other  hand  if  the  long 
cracks  start  at  or  near  the  corner  and  extend 
upward  toward  the  center  of  the  house  it  is 
the  central  portion  of  the  wall  which  is  set- 
tling. Prolonged  cracks  are  usually  due  to 
settlement  of  the  foundations.  This  may  be 
caused  by  the  compression  of  the  earth  under 
the  foundation  walls  or  to  defective  con- 
struction of  the  walls  themselves. 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      59 

Settlement  cracks  are  sometimes  due  to  op- 
enings in  the  wall  that  have  been  spanned 
by  weak  arches  or  beams.  Such  cracks  are 
purely  local  in  character,  and  may  be  remedied 
without  much  expense  by  correcting  the  initial 
fault.  If  it  can  be  determined  that  the  move- 
ment has  ceased,  cracked  walls  may  be  most 
cheaply  repaired  by  stopping  the  cracks  with 
cement  mortar  in  which  coarse  gravel  has 
been  mixed.  If  the  cracks  are  very  large  it  is 
better  to  cut  out  portions  of  the  wall  and  insert 
new  bricks  or  stone,  as  the  case  may  be.  Large 
cracks  are  pretty  certain  to  cause  internal  dis- 
tortion. Inside  plaster  walls  will  of  course 
show  cracks,  mantels  will  have  gaping  joints, 
doors  and  windows  will  not  close  properly,  and 
floors  will  be  out  of  level. 

If  brick  walls  are  built  of  soft  or  "  salmon  " 
bricks  they  will  be  very  absorbent  and  large 
quantities  of  moisture  will  be  held  in  the  wall 
after  rain  storms.  In  summer  this  will  cool 
the  house  as  the  water  evaporates,  though  if 
the  rains  be  prolonged  the  house  will  be  kept 
unduly  damp  and  unwholesome,  it  may  be 
for  weeks  at  a  time.  In  winter  this  moisture 
will  freeze,  causing  weakness  and  sometimes 
crookedness  in  the  wall.  Such  absorbent 
walls  may  be  best  cured  by  treating  them  with 


60  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

a  waterproof  solution,  such  as  "  Cabot's  Brick 
Preservative,"  which  is  usually  effective.  It 
can  be  applied  by  any  painter  and  one  coat 
will  generally  suffice,  though  it  would  insure 
dryness  if  a  second  coat  were  applied  two  or 
three  years  later.  These  two  coats  will  suf- 
fice for  many  years. 

Waterproof  solutions  are  cheaper  than 
paint,  and  have  the  great  advantage  of  not 
affecting  the  original  color  or  texture  of  the 
wall;  though  walls  of  unpleasantly  light  bricks 
may  be  darkened  by  mixing  a  little  red  stain 
with  the  waterproof  solution,  care  being  taken 
in  such  case  not  to  aim  at  uniformity  of  tone 
in  its  application.  House  painters,  unless 
trained  under  a  good  architect,  are  very  apt 
to  regard  uniformity  of  color  as  absolutely  es- 
sential, and  it  will  require  some  trouble  on 
the  part  of  the  house  owner,  to  overcome  the 
often  stubborn  resistance  of  the  painter  to  the 
new  idea. 

CELLAR   WINDOWS 

Notice  the  cellar  window  areas  and  see  if 
they  are  in  good  repair  and  have  some  sort 
of  drainage  from  the  bottom.  Bricks  laid  on 
edge  in  sand  form  the  best  drainage  for  small 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      61 

areas  unless  the  soil  be  clay.  For  larger  areas 
this  method  would  injuriously  affect  the  base- 
ment wall  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  a 
drain  pipe  carried  off  to  some  small  dry  cess- 
pool for  each  of  the  larger  areas.  It  is  of 
course  of  prime  importance  that  the  earth 
should  not  have  settled  at  the  grade  line  about 
the  basement  wall,  and  if  it  has  done  so  new 
earth  must  be  supplied  to  bring  the  grade  line 
up  to  a  point  where  all  surface  water  will  fall, 
away  from  the  house.  Look  out  for  the  out- 
side cellar  steps  and  see  that  the  coping  of  the 
area  is  in  good  condition  and  the  steps  them- 
selves in  sound  repair.  If  this  area  is  closed 
by  wooden  doors  look  to  the  hinges,  as  they 
are  very  apt  to  be  rotted  away. 

In  all  masonry  walls  careful  attention  should 
be  paid  to  such  portions  of  the  wall  as  lie 
behind  the  down  spouts  from  the  roof.  If. 
there  has  been  any  leakage  here  the  mortar  will 
have  been  forced  out  by  the  frost  and  will 
need  careful  repairs.  That  the  down-spouts 
themselves  should  be  repaired  goes  without 
saying.  Examine  carefully  all  copings  wher- 
ever they  occur,  and  sec  whether  they  are 
loose.  If  so,  they  should  be  reset  in  cement 
mortar. 


62  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

THE   OUTSIDE    WOODWORK 

The  masonry  walls  having  been  inspected 
the  outside  woodwork  should  next  receive  close 
attention.  The  places  where  it  is  most  liable 
to  decay  should  be  looked  over,  such  as  porch 
floors,  hinges  of  outside  blinds,  and  wooden 
cornices.  Suspected  places  should  be  tapped 
with  a  knife  handle  or  any  hard  substance. 
Soft  decayed  spots  can  thus  be  readily  de- 
tected under  whatever  number  of  coats  of 
bright  paint.  Look  especially  for  rotting 
woodwork  where  such  work  abuts  against  ma- 
sonry walls  or  in  any  other  place  where 
moisture  is  likely  to  lie.  Test  the  porch 
floors  by  jumping  on  them  to  disclose  weak  or 
rotten  floor  joists.  If  the  roof  is  of  shingles 
examine  it  carefully  about  all  chimneys,  dor- 
mer windows,  etc.  as  it  is  in  such  places  that 
decay  begins  through  imperfect  flashings. 
Examine  the  outside  shutters  to  see  whether 
the  woodwork  about  the  hinges  has  rotted. 
Examine  also  the  shutter  fastenings  embedded 
in  the  masonry  walls  to  see  whether  they  are 
loose.  Wooden  steps  are  very  likely  to  prove 
unsound,  especially  the  lower  step.  If  the 
house  is  covered  with  shingles,  or  especially 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUH^T?      63 

if  covered  with  siding,  look  carefully  at  the 
cornices,  and  around  all  window  frames. 

ABOUT    PAINT 

The  condition  of  the  outside  painting  will 
be  evident  from  superficial  examination  ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  new  houses.  Here,  more 
especially  on  the  metal  work,  inferior  paint 
is  likely  to  have  been  used,  which  will  peel  off 
in  a  few  months,  leaving  the  metal  bare.  Gen- 
uine red  lead  is  the  only  efficient  priming  coat 
for  metal  work  of  every  description,  but  this, 
of  course  may  be  over-painted  any  color  de- 
sired. Cheap  paint  on  woodwork  fades  and 
washes  off,  owing  to  the  widespread  substitu- 
tion of  soap  for  genuine  linseed  oil  in  the 
cheaper  brands  of  ready-mixed  paint.  There 
are  so  many  tricks  in  the  painter's  trade  that 
it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  safeguard  the  ama- 
teur by  specifying  this  or  that  brand  in  pref- 
erence to  another.  One  good  thing  to  remem- 
ber about  paint  is  that  the  lead  is  the  pro- 
tective element  in  it,  and  there  is  more  white 
lead  in  light  than  in  dark  colors.  There  is  only 
one  way  to  secure  good  results,  and  that  is  by 
letting  the  painting  contract  to  a  painter  in 
whom  one  has  confidence. 


64  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

OUTSIDE   METAL   WORK 

All  outside  metal  work  should  be  carefully 
gone  over,  especially  the  flashings,  valleys,  and 
gutters  of  the  roofs,  and  the  rain  water  down 
spouts.  As  has  already  been  suggested,  leak- 
ing down  spouts  cause  rapid  deterioration  in 
all  walls  whether  of  wood  or  masonry.  See 
whether  the  spout  fastenings  are  secure  and 
especially  that  they  are  properly  connected  at 
their  lower  ends  with  the  underground  drain. 
Leaking  connections  here  will  dampen  the 
cellar  walls  or  may  even  flood  the  cellar  floor. 

If  the  house  is  built  on  made  ground  or  on 
very  soft  permeable  soils  like  sandy  loam,  es- 
pecial care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  no 
stream,  however  small,  can  trickle  against  the 
foundation  walls.  Serious  results  will  follow 
owing  to  the  washing  out  of  a  continually  en- 
larging channel  under  the  foundation  walls. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  shingle 
roofs.  If  the  roof  is  covered  with  slate  or 
tiles  see  that  none  are  missing.  If  the  roof  is 
of  low  pitch  or  flat,  and  covered  with  the 
cheaper  grades  of  tin  or  patent  roofing,  look 
out  for  trouble.  Make  a  careful  inspection  of 
attic  ceilings  —  every  square  yard  of  them  — 
and  also  of  the  attic  walls  near  the  ceiling. 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      65 

In  this  way  the  extent  and  location  of  leaks 
in  the  roof  can  be  most  readily  determined. 
The  remedying  of  them  is  another  matter. 
The  only  effective  way  to  repair  an  inferior 
roof  is  to  rip  it  off  and  replace  it  by  a  good 
one.  On  cheap  roofs  one  repair  leads  to  an- 
other and  the  final  cost  will  pay  for  two  good 
roofs. 

Examine  the  glass  in  all  the  windows  and 
see  that  it  is  not  only  sound,  whole,  and  free 
from  cracks,  but  that  the  putty  has  not  fallen 
away  on  the  outside.  If  it  has,  driving  rains 
will  find  their  way  in  about  the  outside  edges 
of  the  glass  and  cause  serious  annoyance.  Re- 
puttying  must  be  carefully  done,  with  rather 
soft  putty  on  old  work. 

GRADING 

The  invariable  rule  for  grading  is  that  it 
should  be  highest  at  the  walls  all  about  the 
house.  Paved  walks  should  receive  atten- 
tion. Cheap  cement  walks  will  soon  fail  partly 
from  the  use  of  inferior  cement  combined  with 
an  unduly  large  admixture  of  sand  and 
broken  stone,  but  more  usually  from  imperfect 
foundations.  Brick  walks,  though  charming 
to  the  eye  for  color  and  texture,  are,  it  must 


66  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

be  confessed,  damp  and  slippery,  and  can  be 
endured  only  when  laid  on  a  solid  concrete 
foundation. 

See  that  the  grades  are  such  that  the  walks 
are  higher  than  the  surrounding  soil  otherwise 
each  will  become  the  bed  of  a  stream  in  rainy 
weather.  Even  city  streets  sometimes  fail  in 
this  respect.  Look  to  the  character  of  the 
boundary  walls  and  fences.  See  that  they  are 
in  good  repair  throughout,  that  the  gates  do  not 
sag  through  rotted  woodwork  about  the  hinges 
or  incorrect  construction  of  the  gate,  and  that 
the  posts  of  wooden  fences  at  the  ground  level 
are  sound. 

THE   INTERIOR 

It  is  time  to  inspect  the  materials  and  work- 
manship of  the  interior  of  the  house.  Go  at 
once  to  the  cellar.  Does  it  appear  dry?  Is 
it  well  lighted  by  windows?  Has  it  a  cement 
floor?  Has  it  a  plastered  ceiling?  How 
about  the  storage  of  fuel  and  getting  it  in  from 
the  outside  conveniently.  Can  two  kinds  of 
coal  be  shot  in  without  interference  with  each 
other,  or  extra  labor?  How  about  getting 
out  ashes?  Does  the  cellar  smell  musty? 
Are  there  any  evidences  of  fungoid  growths 
on  the  walls.     Are  the  heating  pipes  or  water 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      67 

supply  pipes  boxed  or  wrapped  for  protection 
from  the  cold?  If  the  house  is  heated  by  a 
furnace  is  this  centrally  located  or,  if  not,  is  it 
nearer  the  northwest  corner  as  it  should  be? 
Are  the  cellar  stairs  convenient  as  to  location 
and  especially  are  they  well  lighted?  Is  the 
heating  apparatus,  of  whatever  kind,  in  a  pit 
that  is  sunk  below  the  general  level  of  the 
cellar  floor?  If  so,  water  is  likely  to  accumu- 
late there  in  prolonged  rainy  weather.  Is  the 
furnace  or  other  hot-air  apparatus  supplied 
with  fresh  air  directly  from  outdoors  by  a 
special  flue  or  air  box,  or  must  the  household 
breathe  warmed  cellar  air  in  winter?  If  you 
intend  to  burn  pea  coal  in  the  heater  see  that 
the  grate  is  of  the  proper  pattern  for  such  use. 
Most  furnace  grates  are  built  to  burn  only  the 
larger  sizes  of  coal. 

Is  there  any  floor  drain  to  carry  off  water 
that  may  find  its  way  in  from  the  outside  or 
that  may  result  from  washing  the  floor  with  a 
hose  or  otherwise?  If  there  be  such  a  drain 
is  it  properly  screened  and  trapped?  How 
about  the  hose  connections  inside  and  out? 
Are  they  conveniently  placed,  especially  on  the 
outside  where  they  will  be  used  to  wash  the 
pavements  and  water  the  garden?  Many 
houses  have  no  such  outside  connections. 


68  THE  FAIillLY  HOUSE 

THE   KITCHEN 

Go  up  now  to  the  kitchen  and  give  it,  with 
its  adjuncts  of  store  rooms  and  laundry,  a 
thorough  examination.  Are  the  coal  and  gas 
ranges  apparently  in  good  order?  Open  the 
dust  flue  of  the  coal  range  and  make  some  ex- 
amination of  the  interior.  Notice  the  condi- 
tion of  the  fire  bricks  and  the  various  dampers, 
the  top  of  the  range  and  the  interior  of  the 
oven.  Have  all  cracked  covers  and  plates  re- 
newed. See  whether  the  shaking  apparatus 
for  the  grate  is  in  good  order  and  that  all 
range  tools  are  supplied.  Will  the  range  burn 
pea  coal?  Is  the  hot  water  boiler  of  good 
capacity  and  has  it  a  mud  cock  and  a  safety- 
valve  ?  Is  the  kitchen  floor  in  good  order  and 
the  hearth?  How  about  the  woodwork 
around  the  sink?  Do  the  faucets  leak?  Is 
the  waste  pipe  clear?  Are  the  laundry  tubs 
well  lighted?  Small  kitchens  and  laundries 
are  apt  to  be  lighted  by  a  central  fixture  —  an 
ingenious  arrangement  for  casting  the  cook's 
shadow  over  whatever  she  may  be  working  at 
on  the  range,  at  the  sink,  the  table  against  the 
wall,  or  when  bending  over  the  wash  tubs. 

Examine  the  doors  of  all  closets  and  cup- 
boards, and  see  that  they  open  freely  and  shut 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      69 

tight.  Examine  the  locks  and  bolts  of  all  out- 
side doors  and  test  the  condition  of  outside 
door  bells.  If  these  will  not  ring  it  may  be 
due  to  defective  wiring,  but  it  is  more  likely 
to  be  caused  by  run-down  batteries,  which  may 
be  easily  and  cheaply  renewed.  Is  there  a 
convenient  place  for  the  refrigerator,  not  ex- 
posed either  to  the  heat  of  the  kitchen  or  the 
outside  summer  sun?  If  it  should  have  a 
waste  pipe  from  the  bottom  be  sure  that  this 
does  not  connect  with  the  house  soil  pipe.  It 
should  run  off  to  some  independent  point  of 
escape  where  it  will  have  no  connection  with 
the  house  plumbing,  otherwise  there  is  a  very 
serious  danger  of  contamination  from  the 
gases  of  decomposition  in  the  sewer. 

Make  a  similiar  examination  of  the  pantry. 
See  that  the  sink  is  in  good  order,  as  to  its 
supply  and  waste,  that  the  woodwork  about 
it  is  not  decayed  and  that  all  the  cupboard 
doors  are  well  hung.  See  whether  the  back 
stairs  are  adequately  lighted,  whether  they 
have  any  dangerous  twist  in  them  and  that  they 
have  at  least  one  door  either  at  the  top  or  the 
bottom.  See  that  the  swinging  door  from  the 
pantry  has  a  glass  panel,  that  collisions,  dis- 
astrous to  china  and  glassware  on  incoming 
or  outgoing  trays,  may  be  averted. 


70  THE  FAAIILY  HOUSE 

IMPORTANT  INTERIOR  DETAILS 

The  other  rooms  of  the  house  so  far  as 
their  arrangement  is  concerned  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  another  chapter.  We  may  therefore 
proceed  with  an  examination  of  walls,  ceilings, 
and  floors  in  general.  On  the  first  story  look 
out  for  leaks  in  the  ceiling,  and  if  these  are 
under  the  bathroom  or  under  radiators  have 
the  cause  of  the  leak  investigated  and  proper 
repairs  made.  Notice  the  condition  of  the  pa- 
per on  the  walls,  also  that  of  the  paint  or  other 
finish  of  the  woodwork,  and  examine  the  floors 
minutely  with  a  view  of  having  the  flooring 
put  in  good  order.  Examine  and  test  every 
window  fastening.  See  whether  the  sashes 
will  rise  easily,  are  well  balanced,  and  do  not 
rattle  in  their  run-way.  Go  up  the  front  stairs 
rather  heavily,  springing  on  each  step.  See 
whether  the  staircase  generally  is  securely 
fastened  and  braced.  Notice  whether  the 
handrail  is  firm  and  the  height  of  the  rail 
around  the  opening  of  the  upper  floors  suffi- 
cient to  prevent  accidents.  Try  every  door 
in  the  house,  opening,  shutting,  and  locking  it. 
See  that  there  is  an  inside  bolt  to  the  bath- 
room door,  but  high  up  out  of  the  reach  of 
small  children.     Give  the  bathroom   itself  a 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      71 

most  careful  examination  and  see  that  every 
fixture  is  in  all  of  its  parts  in  good  working 
order  and  that  each  is  separately  trapped.  All 
plumbing  should  be  of  the  "  exposed  "  type, 
that  is  to  say  it  should  not  be  cased  in  wood- 
work, but  stand  freely  exposed  on  all  sides. 
Is  the  second  floor  hall  badly  lighted,  espe- 
cially near  the  head  of  the  front  and  back 
stairs.  There  is  no  excuse  for  this  in  wholly 
detached  houses.  In  all  cheaply  built  houses, 
and  in  some  even  of  the  more  expensive  kind, 
the  attic  rooms  are  apt  to  be  unbearably  hot 
in  summer.  This  effect  is  usually  due  to  im- 
proper construction  of  the  roof.  All  rooms 
under  a  roof  will  be  hot  unless  special  pre- 
cautions are  taken.  In  the  cheap  house,  thin 
boards  and  plastered  ceilings  enclose  an  air 
space.  This  becomes  intensely  heated  in  sum- 
mer and  radiates  its  heat  to  the  rooms  below. 
All  air  spaces  in  the  roof  should  be  carefully 
avoided  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  and 
the  roof  boards  should  never  be  less  than  an 
inch  and  a  half  thick,  and  a  layer  of  non- 
conductive  material  between  the  boards  and 
the  outside  roof  should  be  regarded  as  es- 
sential. The  more  usual  and  meager  con- 
struction above  referred  to  also  results  in 
making  attic  rooms  cold  in  winter,  although 


n  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

such  rooms,  under  normal  conditions  are  most 
easily  heated  especially  where  a  hot  air  furnace 
is  used.  Air  leakage  around  dormer  windows 
in  cold  windy  weather  is  a  very  general  fault, 
and  the  same  remark  applies  to  all  bay  win- 
dows especially  if  constructed  of  wood. 
Such  leakage  is  the  result  of  carelessness  in 
construction  and  is  not  inherent  in  either  type 
of  window.  It  is  due  to  improper  connection 
between  the  dormer  window  or  the  bay  window 
and  the  main  body  of  the  house. 

Inside  blinds  are  very  apt  to  be  out  of  repair 
and  should  be  given  careful  examination  as 
to  their  hinges,  fastenings,  and  rolling  slats. 

WOOD,   BRICK,   STONE,   OR  CEMENT? 

On  the  general  question  of  the  relative  value 
of  the  three  types  of  houses  —  wood,  brick, 
or  stone  —  general  conclusions  must  suffice. 
Wooden  houses  if  well  built  are  of  course  not 
only  the  cheapest  to  construct  but  are  dry  at 
all  times;  warm  in  winter;  though  not  always 
as  cool  as  might  be  desired  in  summer.  This 
latter  defect,  however,  is  readily  overcome  by 
heavier  sheathing  boards  and  stout  sheathing 
paper  on  the  outside  under  the  shingles  or 
clap  boards.     That  variety  of  wooden  house 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUH^T?      73 

known  as  "  half-timbered  "  is  of  so  expensive  a 
character  when  properly  built  as  to  preclude  it 
from  consideration  here.  If  cheaply  con- 
structed it  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  to  keep 
in  repair.  Brick  houses  are  apt  to  be  damp 
unless  protected  by  some  waterproof  solu- 
tion, applied  on  the  outside  as  before  suggested. 
If  fully  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays  in  summer 
and  not  having  an  air  space  in  the  outside 
walls  they  are  apt  to  become  unduly  heated. 
Thin  brick  walls  also  chill  readily  in  winter. 
An  old-fashioned  stone  house  is  not  only  cool 
in  summer  but  is  apt  to  be  too  cool,  the  tem- 
perature inside  the  house  forming,  in  too  many 
cases,  too  sharp  a  contrast  with  that  outdoors 
to  be  wholesome.  Such  houses,  moreover, 
are  apt  to  be  damp,  because  the  walls  will  not 
only  absorb  moisture  during  rain  storms  but 
their  great  thickness  will  prevent  this  moisture 
from  drying  out.  The  next  rain  storm  will 
add  to  or  renew  it,  and  so  the  walls  have  a 
tendency  to  be  kept  continually  damp.  The 
effects  of  this,  however,  may  be  obviated  if 
the  wall  is  built  hollow,  or  has  an  inside  brick 
lining  separated  from  the  outside  wall  by 
three  or  four  inches  of  air  space.  This  is 
a  common  form  of  construction  in  England, 
and  may  be  found  in  many  old  houses  in  this 


74  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

country,  though  it  must  perhaps  be  said  that 
the  majority  of  American  stone  houses  are  not 
so  built. 

As  concrete  houses  are  receiving  increased 
attention  a  word  of  caution  regarding  them  is 
necessary.  Concrete,  unless  specially  pre- 
pared (which  is  not  usually  the  case)  for  the 
outside  walls  of  houses,  is  not  waterproof,  but 
on  the  contrary  will  absorb  a  good  deal  of 
moisture  and  for  this  reason  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  a  house  with  concrete  walls 
should  be  built  with  air  spaces  between  the 
outer  and  the  inner  side  of  all  outside  walls. 
A  word  of  warning  should  be  also  uttered 
regarding  the  wholly  unfounded  statements 
which  are  being  put  forth  by  some  manufac- 
turers of  Portland  cement  as  to  the  relative 
cost  of  such  houses.  They  cannot  be  built 
for  anything  approximating  the  cost  of  a 
wooden  house  if  the  construction  is  done  with 
due  regard  to  the  health  of  those  who  will  live 
in  the  house  after  it  is  finished.  Concrete  in 
proper  hands  and  used  with  an  adequate  knowl- 
edge of  its  limitations  and  possibilities  is  one 
of  the  most  valuable  building  materials  for 
domestic  work,  so  far  as  relates  to  floors,  in- 
terior partitions,  and  the  foundation  work  of 
staircases.     It  is  superior  in  its  sound-proof 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      75 

and  fireproof  qualities  to  any  other  material, 
and  if  I  were  building  a  house  to-day  for  my 
own  use  I  should  regard  all  such  conditions 
adequately  met  if  the  outside  walls  were  of 
brick  and  all  interior  floors,  partitions,  and 
the  roof  were  constructed  of  reinforced  con- 
crete. But  this  is  not  an  economical  method 
of  construction,  except  as  regards  its  durability 
over  a  long  period  of  years  and  its  fireproof 
qualities  under  all  conditions. 

This  question  of  fireproof  houses  is  one 
which  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  but  it  does 
not  properly  fall  within  the  scope  of  this  book, 
on  account  of  the  expense  of  securing  such 
conditions,  but  it  is  alluded  to  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  the  advantages  to  be  obtained  by 
the  use  of  reinforced  concrete  on  the  interior 
of  the  house,  as  above  suggested,  when  the 
outside  walls  are  of  brick  or  stone.  Any  fire, 
which  might  originate  anywhere  in  such  a 
house  could  be  regarded  with  relative  equa- 
nimity, as  it  would  be  the  easiest  of  tasks  to 
confine  it  to  the  apartment  in  which  it  might 
start  by  the  simple  expedient  of  closing  the 
doors,  if  the  first  efforts  to  extinguish  it  with 
ordinary  hand  appliances  should  fail.  This 
of  course  presupposes  the  use  of  fireproof 
metal  doors,  which  are  now  easily  obtainable 


76  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

in  forms  perfectly  suited  for  domestic  use. 
A  fire  confined  to  one  room  would  soon  burn 
itself  out  and  the  resulting  structural  damage 
(aside  from  that  to  draperies,  carpets,  etc.) 
could  be  repaired  at  a  very  moderate  expense. 
Wood  under  usual  conditions  is  the  cheap- 
est building  material.  The  exact  ratio  be- 
tween wood  and  masonry  it  is  impossible  to 
state,  owing  to  varying  conditions.  Usually 
brick  work  is  cheaper  than  stone  work  in  vary- 
ing proportions,  due  to  like  differences  in  con- 
dition. Stone  work  under  usual  conditions 
is  more  expensive,  although  of  course  with 
stone  to  be  had  almost  at  one's  door  and  of  a 
kind  cheaply  gotten  out,  in  a  country  where 
there  are  no  brick  clays,  it  would  undoubtedly 
be  the  cheaper  material.  A  peculiar  condi- 
tion of  affairs  exists  in  Philadelphia  at  the 
present  writing  with  regard  to  the  relative  cost 
of  brick  work  and  stone  masonry.  There  are, 
in  and  about  that  city,  numerous  brick  clay 
beds  and  many  brick  yards  producing  all 
grades  of  commercial  brick.  In  spite  of  this 
fact,  however,  it  is  actually  cheaper  to-day 
in  some  parts  of  the  city  (notably  in  German- 
town)  to  build  a  house  of  the  beautiful  local 
stone  for  which  Philadelphia  is  so  justly  noted. 
This  has  been  tested  by  recent  contract  for  a 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      77 

dwelling  house  costing  about  six  thousand 
dollars,  in  which  the  mason's  bid  was  four- 
hundred  dollars  less  for  stonework  than  for 
brickwork  for  the  outside  walls. 


FIREPLACES 

If  there  are  open  fireplaces  in  the  house 
their  probable  defect  will  be  poor  draft.  This 
may  be  detected  by  a  darkening  about  the 
upper  edge  of  the  opening  where  smoke  has 
puffed  out  into  the  room. 

Remedying  smoky  fireplaces  is  a  matter 
about  which  no  general  rule  can  be  given. 
Sometimes  it  is  sufficient  to  heighten  the 
chimney  either  by  building  it  up  or  placing 
a  metal  cowl  on  top.  Sometimes  a  chimney 
smokes  only  in  certain  stages  of  the  wind  in 
which  case  a  metal  hood  properly  adjusted 
will  suffice.  In  other  cases  the  fault  may  be 
due  to  a  radical  defect  in  the  form  or  con- 
struction of  the  fireplace  itself,  in  which  case 
nothing  short  of  tearing  out  and  rebuilding 
will  suffice.  This,  however,  is  not  so  formid- 
able an  operation  as  might  be  supposed. 

A  fault  seldom  suspected  and  not  generally 
understood  is  a  deficient  air  supply  for  the 
fireplace.     This  is  likely  to  occur  if  the  fire- 


78  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

place  is  unusually  large  or  the  room  in  which 
it  is  placed  be  so  tightly  closed  as  to  make  it 
impossible  for  the  strong  updraught  in  the  flue 
to  find  the  inflow  of  fresh  air  necessary  to 
maintain  it.  Usually  the  best  cure  is  to  make 
an  air  supply  flue  for  the  fireplace  from  one 
of  the  lower  floors,  preferably  the  basement. 
This  flue,  of  course,  must  be  safeguarded  from 
the  fall  of  ashes  or  hot  coals,  but  the  means 
of  doing  this  will  present  no  difficulties  to  the 
practical  constructor,  who  will  devise  special 
means  to  fit  the  peculiarities  of  individual 
cases.  The  application  of  this  remedy  will, 
in  some  measure,  diminish  the  efficiency  of  the 
fireplace  as  an  extractor  of  used  air  from  the 
room  itself,  but  that  hit-or-miss  system  of 
ventilation  has  been  generally  outgrown. 

CONCRETE   CLAIMS 

A  word  or  two  more  may  be  said  about 
concrete  houses.  Mr.  Edison  has  been  widely 
credited  with  a  statement  that  he  has  perfected 
an  entirely  new  method  of  handling  this  build- 
ing material,  by  means  of  which  it  will  be 
possible  to  "pour"  houses  with  unexampled 
rapidity  and  cheapness.  The  claims  made  for 
this  new  process  may  be  best  explained  by  the 


HOW  IS  THE  HOUSE  BUILT?      79 

following  extract  from  an  alleged  interview 
in  "  Common  Sense." 

"  I'll  dig  the  cellar  of  this  house  with 
a  steam  shovel,"  he  said,  "  and  cast  it  in 
six  hours.  Two  locomotive  cranes  will 
lift  the  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  cubic 
yards  of  cement  that  the  house  will 
contain  and  pour  it  into  the  openings 
at  the  top.  The  cement  will  pass  through 
twelve  sluice-boxes,  and  as  it  is  being 
poured,  a  number  of  men  will  churn  it 
with  iron  bars,  at  the  end  of  each  of 
which  will  be  a  large  ball.  The  churn- 
ing will  be  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
waves  through  the  cement,  so  that  it 
shall  fill  every  particle  of  the  molds." 


Wet  cement  freezes  in  winter.  Recollection 
of  this  fact  brought  the  thought  that  houses 
could  not  be  poured  from  fall  until  spring. 
Edison,  also,  had  thought  of  that.  Further- 
more, he  had  found  a  way  to  surmount  the  ob- 
stacle created  by  low  temperature. 

"  Before  a  gallon  of  cement  is  poured," 
said  he,  "  the  furnace,  radiators,  and  pipes 
will  all  be  in  place.  When  I  set  up  my 
building  molds,  I  shall  simply  place  the 
heating-plant  as  if  it  were  intended  to  re- 
main in  the  iron  house   formed  by  the 


80  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

molds.  Then,  if  it  be  winter,  I  shall 
start  a  fire  in  the  furnace.  That  will 
make  the  cement,  after  it  is  poured,  dry 
even  better  than  it  would  in  summer;  so 
cold  weather  will  not  interfere  with  the 
new  method  of  construction. 

It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  experienced 
architects,  engineers  and  builders,  whose  exten- 
sive acquaintance  with  the  capabilities  of  ce- 
ment and  concrete  has  been  acquired  through 
years  of  practical  operations,  have  not  received 
these  claims  with  enthusiasm.  In  spite  of  the 
inventor's  statement  that  he  has  discovered  a 
new  ingredient  whose  use  in  the  plastic  mix- 
ture makes  it  flow  with  the  highest  degree  of 
fluidity,  it  will  require  many  demonstrations 
on  a  large  commercial  scale  to  overcome  this 
skepticism.  If  it  were  possible,  it  would 
certainly  remedy  many  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  housing  the  poor  in  a  sanitary  and  econom- 
ical fashion,  but  at  this  stage  of  development, 
the  invention  is  not  one  that  can  be  recom- 
mended as  likely  to  afford  a  speedy  relief  for 
the  difficulties  dealt  with  in  this  book. 


CHAPTER  VI 

WHAT  IS  THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE  ? 

Primitive  man,  whose  chief  concern  was 
with  the  elemental  means  of  existence  —  that  is 
to  say,  with  food  and  shelter  —  doubtless  often 
found  in  caves  a  welcome  refuge  from  stress 
of  weather;  from  heat,  cold,  storm  and  sun- 
shine. Here  he  housed  his  family  and  fol- 
lowers and  the  routine  of  their  life  was  simple 
in  the  extreme. 

By  day  and  night  all  the  members  of  the 
household  gathered  about  the  family  hearth, 
working  at  their  indoor  labors,  and  sleeping 
within  the  four  boundaries  of  this  simple  home. 
In  all  ages  of  the  world  wherever  we  find  man 
in  an  elemental  stage  of  civilization  he  is  al- 
ways satisfied  with  some  such  unsophisticated 
type  of  abode,  even  when  he  has  to  build  it 
himself. 

In  England  as  late  as  the  tenth  and  elev- 
enth centuries  the  house  of  the  Saxon  thegn 
consisted  of  a  single  room,  the  Hall.  But 
as  time  goes  on  and  life  becomes  more 
81 


S2  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

complex,  man  slowly  awakens  to  a  conscious- 
ness of  the  value  of  privacy  which  develops 
more  or  less  in  detail,  and  in  northern  England 
rooms  of  specialized  use  came,  in  the  course 
of  time,  to  be  added  to  the  Hall.  Thus  we 
have  the  "  Chamber "  or  private  sleeping 
room  of  the  master  and  his  immediate  family 
and  the  "  Solar  "  or  drawing  room,  which  is 
the  day  room  for  the  family. 

In  later  times  other  rooms  are  added,  and 
very  gradually  the  "  buttery,"  the  kitchen,  etc., 
make  their  appearance,  as  it  is  felt  proper  to 
specialize  and  keep  separated  the  several 
tasks  and  details  of  the  daily  family  routine. 

But  all  this  time  the  relatively  modern  idea 
•of  "  thoroughfare "  or  passageway  does  not 
appear;  and  even  so  late  as  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth we  sometimes  find  long  suites  of  rooms 
without  any  common  corridor,  making  it  nec- 
essary to  pass  through  all  the  intervening 
rooms  to  reach  the  furthest  in  the  suite.  It  is 
only  in  recent  times  (practically  since  the 
eighteenth  century)  that  the  thoroughfare  has 
become  fully  developed  in  houses  of  discrim- 
inating people.  Attention  is  called  to  this 
historical  phase  because  there  has  recently 
appeared  a  tendency  to  revert  to  the  more 
primitive    plan    in    houses    of    the    so    called 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       83 

"Dutch  Hall"  or  "Reception  Hall"  type 
which  are  being  built  for  speculative  purposes. 
The  characteristic  of  such  houses  is  that  as 
soon  as  the  front  door  is  passed  the  whole 
interior  of  the  house  on  the  lower  floor,  with 
the  possible  exception  of  the  kitchen,  stands 
fully  revealed  to  the  most  critical  inspection. 
There  is  often  it  is  true  some  pretense  of 
distinguishing  the  parlor  from  the  hall  and 
the  hall  from  the  dining  room  but  as  these 
all  open  into  each  other  by  wide  and  doorless 
openings  the  separation  is  merely  sentimental 
and  not  in  the  least  efifcctive.  Inquiry  as  to 
the  cause  of  this  strange  reversion  to  type  in 
the  "  operation "  house  leads  to  the  explana- 
tion that  such  houses  are  being  taken  up  by 
people  who  have  been  crowded  out  of  the 
older  wards  of  the  city  by  throngs  of  im- 
migrants of  every  nationality  who  make  ex- 
tremely undesirable  neighbors  until  they  have 
been  trained  by  example  and  experience  in 
American  ways  of  living.  In  these  older 
wards  land  is  valuable  and  rentals  high,  and 
houses  originally  ample  for  one  family  very 
inadequately  serve  the  needs  of  two  or  three. 
These,  fleeing  before  the  new  barbarian  in- 
vasion, find  small  houses  in  the  suburban  dis- 
tricts at  reasonable  rentals  or  even  purchasable 


84  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

on  easy  terms.  Since  the  quarters  they  have 
just  left  were  cramped  and  condensed  to  the 
utmost  limit  of  endurance,  the  one  idea  of 
these  immigrants  is  that  the  new  house  shall 
express  the  paramount  idea  of  spaciousness 
however  small  its  real  dimensions.  Hence 
this  reversion  in  principle  to  the  more  primi- 
tive type. 

People  who  have  made  further  progress 
along  those  paths  which  lead  to  the  refinements 
and  amenities  of  social  life  require  that  the 
more  intimate  family  life  shall  be  safeguarded 
against  intrusion  by  the  casual  visitor  or 
stranger.  Hence,  however  spacious  or  nu- 
merous the  family  apartments  may  be  it  is 
highly  desirable  that  one  room  be  set  apart 
from  these  where  all  casual  visitors  may  in 
the  first  instance  be  received.  Even  in  small 
houses  loss  of  spaciousness  will  be  little  re- 
garded by  those  in  whom  a  higher  refinement 
has  been  developed.  Figures  8  and  13  indicate 
the  type  of  house  above  referred  to,  the  former 
as  usually  built,  the  latter,  the  house  with  the 
modifications  suggested.  In  the  first  example 
it  may  be  seen  that  whoever  enters  the  re- 
ception room  commands  a  view  of  the  entire 
lower  floor,  whereas  in  the  second  case  this 
room  is  isolated  and  family  life  in  the  hall  and 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       85 

dining  room  suffers  no  unexpected  interrup- 
tion. 


X.Uen 


^arffi^ 


1  ^ilUilO 
'^      ~>iaorr 


Coort 


Holl 


G 


T&f-ic 


h     - 

V 


toi-ck 


Fig.    9.    First    Floor 
Plan. 
Such   houses    in    Philadelphia   are    usually 
built  on  lots  sixteen  feet  wide,  though  often 
no  wider  than  fourteen. 

As  this  book  is  chiefly  addressed  to  those 
who  will  rent  or  possibly  buy  a  ready  made 
house  rather  than  build  one  to  suit  their  own 
inclinations,  it  will  not  discuss  very  fully  the 


86  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

principles  of  house  planning,  but  will  indicate 
here  and  there  where  to  modify  plans  not 
wholly  suited  to  individual  cases. 


OWNERSHIP,    SITE,    COST 

Individual  predilection  must  of  course  be 
given  full  sway,  for  a  man  is  entitled  to  live 
as  he  likes  so  far  as  his  liking  is  decent  and 
orderly  and  not  otherwise  to  the  detriment  of 
his  neighbors.  From  this  point  of  view 
it  may  be  noted  that  the  three  controlling 
factors  of  house  planning  are,  in  the  order  of 
their  importance,  ownership,  site,  cost.  From 
our  present  point  of  view,  cost  might  be  re- 
garded as  the  prime  consideration,  but  it  does 
not  really  and  fundamentally  affect  the  plan 
so  much  as  do  the  views  of  the  owner  and'his 
habits  of  life  and  the  place  where  the  house  is 
to  be  built.  Some  men,  even  though  com- 
pelled to  live  in  small  houses,  like  to  entertain 
a  good  deal.  Others  live  quietly,  seeing  only 
a  few  intimate  friends.  Some  are  of  studi- 
ous habits,  others  look  away  from  home  for 
their  amusements  and  recreations.  Then 
again,  there  is  the  question  of  the  size  of  the 
family  to  be  taken  into  consideration.     These 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       87 


Fig.  g.    First  Floor  Plan  of  an  Austrian  house.    Drawn 
by  W.  N.  Smith,  Architect. 


88 


THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 


are  the  considerations  which  the  effect  of 
ownership  introduced  into  the  problem.  Site 
we  have  already  considered  and  the  limitations 
of  cost  are  inexorable.  On  this  latter  point, 
however,  this  much  may  be  said:  better  good 


pMMor  ji/CONP  wan 


Fig.  10.     Second  Floor  Plan  of  an  Austrian  house. 

materials  and  construction  and  a  small 
house  than  a  pretentious  plan  and  a  flimsy 
house. 

The  question  of  the  amelioration  of  the  plan 
of  ready  made  houses  assumes  such  protean 
shapes  that  it  is  not  practical  to  give  any  very 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       89 

general  rules  for  dealing  with  it.  Each  case 
must  be  examined,  diagnosed,  and  remedied 
by  itself.  Let  the  intending  renter  or  pur- 
chaser after  assuring  himself  of  the  desirabil- 
ity of  the  house  from  a  sanitary  point  of  view 
picture  to  himself  his  family  living  in  the 
house.  How  will  they  dispose  of  themselves 
by  day  or  by  night?  How  will  the  various 
home  activities  and  interests  of  each  member 
be  met  by  the  new  house  in  the  order  of  their 
importance.  What  alterations  would  make 
the  new  house  meet  these  in  a  more  desirable 
way?  Are  such  alterations  economically 
possible?  When  these  questions  are  deter- 
mined for  the  particular  occupant  and  the 
particular  house  some  effort  should  be  made 
to  induce  the  landlord  to  meet  them  either  by 
an  offer  to  slightly  increase  the  rent  or  by  an 
offer  to  lease  for  a  term  of  years  if  one's  busi- 
ness interests  will  make  that  practical  or  ad- 
visable. He  may  thus  be  willing  to  cut  a 
door  here,  to  close  another  there,  to  enlarge 
an  existing  bathroom,  or  install  a  second  one 
either  on  the  third  floor  or  in  connection  with 
the  principal  family  bedroom  suite;  to  add 
a  small  laundry  and  ironing  room  or  a  cold 
storage  compartment  in  the  kitchen,  which  can 


90  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

often  be  obtained  at  small  expense  by  the 
simple  expedient  of  enclosing  a  portion  of  the 
kitchen  porch.  In  other  matters  and  at  a 
relatively  small  expense  one  may  do  much  to 
change  an  unsympathetic  plan  into  one  more 
in  harmony  with  one's  habits  of  life.  New 
papering,  paint,  and  all  ordinary  repairs,  even 
to  the  cementing  of  the  cellar  floor,  or  plaster- 
ing of  the  cellar  ceiling,  can  usually  be  ac- 
complished without  any  additional  cost  by  a 
good  tenant,  even  if  only  on  yearly  lease. 


CLOSET  SPACE 

Most  small  houses  built  for  rental  are  very 
defective  in  the  provision  for  closets  and 
storage  spaces.  This  is  certain  to  be  the  case 
in  all  small  houses  with  flat  roofs.  Careful 
attention  should  be  given  to  this  point  when 
examining  any  new  houses  and  provision  for 
additional  closet  room  insisted  on,  if  the 
"  condition  of  the  market  "  makes  the  landlord 
anxious  to  secure  a  good  tenant. 

The  best  place  for  bedroom  closets  from 
every  point  of  view  is  along  the  wall  next  an 
adjoining  bedroom.  These  closets  act  as 
soundproof  devices  which  greatly  enhance  the 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE        91 

comfort  of  the  occupants  of  each  room.  It  is 
very  desirable  that  a  linen  closet  have  a  win- 
dow in  it  if  this  be  at  all  possible. 

All  closets  have  their  usefulness  greatly 
increased  when  the  house  is  electrically  lighted 
if  there  be  in  each  closet  a  ceiling  light  which  is 
automatically  switched  on  when  the  door  to 
the  closet  is  opened  and  switched  off  when  it 
is  closed.  The  switches  to  hall  and  bedroom 
lights  should  be  placed  in  the  most  handy 
position,  that  is,  where  one  enters  or  ap- 
proaches the  hall  or  bedroom. 

LIGHTING  DEVICES 

Electric  lighting  devices  for  gas  fixtures  are 
a  convenient  auxiliary  if  properly  installed 
with  good  materials,  but  in  many  renting 
houses  of  the  less  expensive  class  the  instal- 
lation is  poor,  and  something  is  continually 
going  wrong  with  them.  Weak  batteries  are 
easily  remedied,  but  the  system  breaks  down 
more  often  from  defective  workmanship  and 
material. 

Some  danger,  too,  is  present  from  the  pos- 
sibility that  the  auxiliary  cock  required  to 
operate  them  may  leak,  and  this  is  too  often 


92  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

depended  on  to  shut  off  the  flow  of  gas  from 
the  supply  pipe  to  the  burner,  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  regular  stop  cock  on  the  bracket. 


KITCHEN    CONVENIENCES 

It  is  time  to  turn  our  attention  to  individual 
rooms.  Let  us  consider  the  kitchen  and  its 
equipment  and  appurtenances.  If  the  kitchen 
is  to  be  used  for  cooking  alone,  in  families 
where  only  one  servant  is  kept  or  where  some 
member  of  the  family  will  do  the  cooking,  a 
small  kitchen  is  very  much  to  be  preferred  to 
a  larger  one.  A  room  9'xii'  or  io'xi2'  is 
abundantly  large  if  it  can  be  properly  arranged. 

If  stationary  washtubs  have  to  be  included 
in  this  room,  however,  the  above  dimensions 
will  be  too  small,  but  it  is  most  desirable  that 
the  laundry  work  should  be  done  in  a  separate 
apartment,  no  matter  how  restricted  in  size. 
Two  tubs  will  suffice  if  there  be  not  room  for 
three.  If  they  must  be  placed  in  the  kitchen 
see  that  they  stand  somewhat  apart  from  the 
kitchen  equipment  proper  so  that  the  two  oper- 
ations will  not  interfere  with  each  other. 
/^  The    absolutely    essential    equipment   of   a 

kitchen  will  consist  of  a  coal  range  supple- 
mented if  possible  by  a  gas  range  for  occa- 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       93 

sional  and  summer  use.  A  kitchen  sink  of 
cast  iron  with  hot  and  cold  water  and  some 
form  of  water  heater,  whether  this  be  a  water 
back  in  the  coal  range  or  some  other  device  for 
giving  a  reasonably  continuous  supply.  A  hot 
water  storage  reservoir  (or  boiler  as  it  is  more 
commonly  called)  should  be  placed  immedi- 
ately over  the  kitchen  range  above  the  hot 
shelf  or  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  This 
saves  valuable  floor  space  which  can  be  oc- 
cupied to  better  advantage  by  the  small  gas 
range. 

Next,  the  kitchen  dresser  and  a  small  closet, 
the  latter  serving  a  double  purpose,  being  ar- 
ranged in  its  lower  part  for  the  heavy  pots 
and  pans  and  above  for  the  storage  of  the 
bulkier  articles  of  food. 

In  these  days  of  the  nearby  grocer  and 
butcher,  with  the  telephone  handy,  large 
kitchen  store  rooms  are  not  needed  unless  one 
desires  to  place  the  refrigerator  there.  In  this 
case  the  store  room  should  have  an  opening 
on  the  back  porch,  if  it  can  possibly  be  so  ar- 
ranged, for  icing  the  refrigerator  from  the  out- 
side. Built-in  refrigerators  are  of  course  far 
the  best  but  their  expense  precludes  them  from 
consideration  here.  The  refrigerator  must  of 
course  be  protected  from  the  sun. 


94.  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

THE  RANGE 

So  far  as  cooking  is  concerned,  no  more 
wasteful  contrivance  has  ever  been  devised 
than  the  coal  range.  Having  this  point  in 
mind  someone  has  defined  cooking  as  a  by- 
product of  waste  heat,  which  in  a  large  meas- 
ure is  true.  Cooking  on  a  gas  range  is  well 
enough  if  the  price  of  gas  is  not  over  a  dollar 
a  thousand  and  due  vigilance  is  observed  in  its 
economical  use.  Where  the  gas  range  fails  is 
in  its  inability  to  supply  hot  water  for  the 
family  use.  There  are,  it  is  true,  gas  water 
heaters,  but  they  are  extremely  uneconomical 
in  spite  of  all  advertising  statements  to  the 
contrary. 

Probably  the  ideal  arrangement  from  an 
economical  point  of  view  would  be  a  gas  range, 
a  fireless  cooker,  and  a  hot  water  heater  using 
coal  for  fuel.  The  consumption  of  coal  in  the 
water  heater  would  be  a  comparatively  small 
expense.  The  gas  range  could  be  used  for  the 
starting  of  all  boiling,  roasting  and  stewing 
operations  which  could  be  completed  in  the 
fireless  cooker  while  bread,  steaks,  etc.,  could 
be  cooked  in  the  usual  way  on  the  gas  range. 
Electric  cooking,  while  more  convenient  than 
any  other  form,  is  prohibitive  as  to  its  cost  in 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       95 

all  cases  where  economy  in  the  kitchen  must 
be  given  any  consideration  at  all. 


POSITION   OF  THE  KITCHEN 

The  position  of  the  kitchen  in  the  plan 
should  be  on  the  north  side  of  the  house,  pref- 
erably near  the  northeast  of  the  house,  for 
the  reason  that  prevailing  winds  in  summer 
are  always  southerly  and  at  a  time  when  the 
house  is  most  open  a  kitchen  on  the  south  side 
will  have  its  odors  blown  all  through  the 
house.  A  kitchen  should  be  lighted  by  two 
windows  if  possible  each  window  in  a  different 
wall  so  as  to  insure  some  sort  of  a  cross  draft. 
Have  one  of  these  windows  if  possible  over 
or  near  the  kitchen  sink. 

Care  must  be  taken  to  see  that  the  back 
stairs  do  not  serve  as  a  funnel  for  conducting 
the  kitchen  odors  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
house.  This  can  be  prevented  to  some  extent 
by  a  swinging  door  on  the  house  side  of  the 
kitchen  and  a  second  swung  door  either  at  the 
top  or  bottom  of  the  stairs,  preferably  the 
latter.  Back  stairs  should  be  lighted  by  a  win- 
dow in  the  outside  wall,  and  winders  avoided 
if  it  is  possible  to  get  up  without  them,  as  they 
are  dangerous. 


96  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

THE    PANTRY 

The  dining  room  pantry,  commonly  mis- 
named the  butler's  pantry,  should  be  made  as 
large  as  possible  —  much  larger  than  the  space 
usually  assigned  to  it  in  the  ordinary  house. 
If  one  had  but  eighteen  feet  to  divide  between 
the  width  of  the  pantry  and  the  length  of  the 
dining  room  it  would  be  very  much  better  to 
make  the  pantry  six  feet  wide  rather  than 
five  and  diminish  the  length  of  the  dining  room 
by  that  foot.  There  is  no  room  in  the  house 
where  generous  space  gives  better  returns  in 
comfort  and  convenience. 

It  is  well  worth  while  to  supplement  a 
kitchen  sink  by  a  second  sink  in  the  pantry. 
This  should  be  oval  in  plan,  but  with  a  flat 
bottom,  and  made  of  tinned  copper,  so  that 
thin  glassware  and  porcelain  may  not  be  easily 
broken  in  it.  See  that  there  is  plenty  of  elbow 
space  about  the  sink  and  that  it  is  very  well 
lighted. 

At  least  one  side  of  the  pantry  should  be 
occupied  by  the  china  and  glass  cupboards  and 
a  portion  of  the  other  by  a  wide  shelf  or  table 
for  the  preliminary  arranging  of  the  table 
service  and  the  reception  of  used  dishes  and 
plates.     This  will  save  many  steps  to  and  fro. 


Dining  room  in  the  house  of  the  Chaplain 
to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Hesse 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       97 

THE   DINING   ROOM 

The  size  and  shape  of  the  dining  room 
should,  if  possible,  be  such  that  when  all  the 
furniture  is  in  place  (that  is  to  say  the  side- 
board, chairs,  etc.)  there  will  be  at  least  28" 
clear  around  the  edge  of  a  four  foot  circular 
table.  This  is  the  minimum  space  for  serv- 
ice behind  chairs  of  persons  seated  at  the 
table.  Such  a  table  will  seat  comfortably  six 
people,  more  comfortably  four,  and  (with  one 
leaf  in)  eight  can  be  easily  accommodated. 

If  the  dining  room  is  to  be  arranged  for 
more  than  six  people  at  the  table  it  should  be 
longer  in  one  direction  than  in  another,  that 
is  to  say  along  the  axis  of  the  table  when  ex- 
tended. In  some  cases  it  is  good  economy  to 
take  a  foot  off  a  portion  of  the  width  of  the 
pantry  and  throw  it  into  a  recess  long  enough 
to  include  a  sideboard  which  will  then  be  at 
least  partially  withdrawn  from  the  actual  floor 
space  of  the  dining  room. 

A  bay-window  on  one  side  of  the  dining 
room  is  a  great  help  in  adding  to  the  working 
area  of  the  room,  since  the  dining  room  table 
can  be  set  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  center, 
the  bay-window  serving  as  a  passage  way 
around  one  end  of  it.     Such  a  window  adds 


98  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

materially  to  the  appearance  of  the  room, 
especially  if  it  be  large  enough  to  receive  a 
shelf  for  flowers.  A  fireplace  in  a  small  din- 
ing room  is  not  to  be  recommended,  as  it  will 
be  too  close  to  the  dining  room  table  to  be 
comfortable.  In  larger  rooms  this  is  a  very 
agreeable  adjunct,  especially  on  cold  winter 
mornings. 

THE   LIBRARY 

If  there  be  a  room  set  apart  especially  for 
the  books  —  though  this  is  not  likely  to  be 
the  case  in  small  houses  unless  the  owner  be 
a  professional  litterateur  —  it  is  important  that 
it  should  have  abundant  window  light  from 
one  side  of  the  room  at  least,  and  it  may  well 
include  a  fireplace,  however  small  the  room 
may  be,  with  the  book  shelves  arranged  about 
four  or  five  feet  high  and  occupying  all  of  the 
available  wall  space. 


THE  LIVING   ROOM 

The  fault  of  most  small  house  plans  is  that 
they  attempt  to  imitate  the  plan  of  a  larger 
house.  This  pretentiousness  results  in  many 
discomforts.  The  plan,  in  the  first  place,  will 
be  divided  into  a  number  of  small  rooms  of 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE       99 

equal  size  which  renders  the  interior  effect 
very  unattractive.  Moreover  there  is  no  one 
room  where  the  family  can  gather  without 
feeling  cramped  and  shut  in.  It  is  therefore 
always  better  to  have  one  large  family  living 
room  on  the  ground  floor,  eliminating  the 
library  (or  even,  if  necessary,  the  dining 
room)  as  a  separate  apartment. 

If  there  be  a  reception  room  cut  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  house  in  the  way  already  in- 
dicated, all  that  is  really  essential  in  a  very 
small  house  will  be  one  large  apartment  to  be 
used  as  a  day  living  room  for  the  family  and 
a  small  but  well  lighted  stair  hall,  not  however 
used  in  any  sense  as  a  living  room.  At  the 
end  of  the  living  room,  next  the  pantry,  a  din- 
ing table  can  be  set  out  which  at  meal  time  can 
be  screened  from  the  rest  of  the  room  if  de- 
sired by  a  curtain  or  a  folding  screen.  The 
old  fashioned  type  of  dining  table  known  as 
the  Pembroke,  which  when  not  needed  be- 
tween meal  times  folds  up  into  a  small  place 
against  the  wall,  is  admirably  adapted  for  such 
a  use.  In  somewhat  larger  houses,  space  may 
be  well  spared  for  a  separate  dining  room, 
though  this  may,  even  here,  take  the  form  of 
an  alcove  opening  off  the  large  living  room. 

It  is  only  in  remote  parts  of  the  country  that 


100  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

the  idea  of  the  best  parlor  survives.  This  was 
a  room,  usually  quite  as  large  or  even  larger 
than  any  of  the  family  living  rooms,  but  shut 
up  most  of  the  time,  and  chiefly  used  for  wed- 
dings and  funerals. 


THE  STAIRCASE 

It  is  worth  while  in  planning  to  give  ample 
space  to  the  principal  staircase  in  order  that 
the  steps  may  be  easy.  .It  should  be  so  planned 
if  possible  that  there  are  no  winding  steps  at 
the  turns.  It  is  also  quite  important  that  it 
should  be  well  lighted  by  an  outside  window, 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs  preferably,  and  that  it 
should  be  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  house 
either  at  the  top  or  the  bottom  by  a  swinging 
door.  Nothing  adds  more  to  the  discomfort 
of  a  house  in  cold  weather  than  the  ordinary 
staircase,  which  serves  to  create  a  strong  draft 
from  below  upwards,  sucking  up  all  the  heat 
from  the  lower  rooms  and  making  the  upper 
floor  of  the  house  unnecessarily  warm.  Un- 
der certain  circumstances  this  latter  condition 
may  be  reversed,  and  a  down  draft  created, 
especially  if  the  windows  on  the  second  floor 
are    opened   in   cold   weather.     In    one    case 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      101 

which  has  been  observed  kitchen  odors  have 
been  carried  to  the  second  floor  by  the  rear 
stairs  and  to  the  front  part  of  the  house  on 
the  lower  floor  by  the  front  stairs,  the  inter- 
vening dining  room  itself  being  entirely  free 
from  such  odors. 

With  regard  to  the  reception  room,  to  which 
attention  has  already  been  called,  the  only  re- 
quirement that  need  be  observed  is  that  it  be 
immediately  accessible  from  the  entrance  and 
does  not  open  into  any  other  room  of  the  house. 
If  one  could  be  sure  that  a  second  door,  open- 
ing into  the  staircase  hall  or  the  living  room, 
can  be  always  closed  when  necessary,  there 
would  be  no  objection  to  such  a  door,  but  if  it 
is  to  be  found  open  at  the  wrong  time  the 
whole  object  of  the  reception  room  will  be 
defeated.  It  is  therefore  wiser  not  to  pro- 
vide such  a  door. 

With  regard  to  outside  porches  they  may 
occupy  almost  any  position  except  toward  the 
West,  and  even  this  is  desirable  if  there  be 
more  than  one  outside  porch,  in  order  that  the 
views  of  the  evening  sky  in  summer  may  be 
had  —  although  in  the  afternoon  for  two  or 
three  hours  before  sunset  such  a  porch  is  prac- 
tically unusable  during  hot  weather. 


lOa  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

BEDROOMS 

Passing  to  the  second  floor  of  the  house  it 
may  be  said  with  regard  to  bedrooms  in  gen- 
eral that  their  doors  and  windows  (and  fire- 
places if  they  have  any)  should  be  arranged 
with  some  reference  to  the  question  of  where 
the  bed  may  be  conveniently  placed.  This  de- 
tail seems  to  be  quite  overlooked  in  most  cases, 
for  some  unexplicable  reason.  Doors  should 
not  be  placed  in  the  middle  of  walls  except 
where  it  is  desired  that  adjoining  rooms  should 
open  into  each  other  with  the  best  effect  pos- 
sible. In  all  other  cases  available  wall  space 
is  disturbed  and  too  broken  up  often  into  small 
and  practically  useless  spaces. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  im- 
portance of  securing  ample  closet  space  and  the 
best  position  for  such  adjuncts.  A  square 
form  is  not  the  best  for  bedrooms,  unless  the 
adoption  of  any  other  shape  will  result  in  a 
room  less  than  ten  feet  wide.  Oblong  rooms 
of  reasonable  width  are  much  more  desirable 
and  every  attempt  should  be  made  to  get  away 
from  the  square  box-like  appearance  which 
bedrooms  generally  assume  in  the  hands  of 
operative  builders.  Although  one  cannot  al- 
ways approve  the  details  of  Baillie  Scott's  in- 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      103 

terior  arrangements,  he  understands  the  art  of 
avoiding  the  conventional  rather  better  than 
most  architects.^ 

One's  plan  may  assume  so  many  different 
shapes  that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  generalize 
very  much  about  bedroom  arrangements  and 
the  relations  of  the  several  rooms  of  the  bed- 
room floor  to  each  other.  In  the  examples 
given  in  this  chapter,  good  arrangements  for 
the  particular  cases  illustrated  may  be  studied. 
If  there  be  only  one  bathroom  on  the  principal 
bedroom  floor,  it  is  very  desirable  that  it  should 
not  be  placed  in  the  center  of  the  plan,  and 
especially  not  near  the  head  of  the  principal 
staircase  nor  over  the  dining  room. 

The  modern  American  ideal,  M^hich  is  at- 
tained in  all  houses  where  cost  is  not  too 
closely  considered,  is  to  have  an  individual 
bathroom  for  every  bedroom;  but  for  houses 
of  even  moderate  cost  this  is  of  course  out  of 
the  question.  It  ought  to  be  regarded  however 
as  almost  if  not  quite  essential  to  reasonable 
living  that  the  principal  bedroom  or  suite 
of  family  bedrooms  should  have  a  bath- 
room for  its  exclusive  use  and  one  other 
bathroom  for  the  other  family  bedrooms.     In 

1  See  "  Houses  and  Gardens,"  by  M.  H.  Baillie  Scott. 
London.    Newnes,  igog. 


104  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

houses  of  larger  size,  where  a  bedroom  can  be 
reserved  for  the  exclusive  use  of  guests,  this 
also  should  have  its  own  private  bathroom. 
Three  family  bathrooms  then  may  be  regarded 
as  not  unduly  extravagant,  taking  into  consid- 
eration our  habits  of  life. 

Nothing  surprises  the  American  traveling 
abroad  for  the  first  time  quite  so  much  as  the 
intolerably  limited  accommodations  of  this 
sort  which  even  houses  of  the  best  class  in 
England  afford.  On  the  Continent  of  course, 
owing  to  racial  differences,  conditions  are  still 
worse,  though  Germany  perhaps  is  the  worst 
offender  in  this  particular.  The  growing  Ger- 
man liking  for  the  English  house  plan  is  ef- 
fecting a  material  improvement  in  the  newer 
houses. 

POSITION  OF  ROOMS 

While  one  is  often  obliged  to  "  take  what 
is  left,"  when  renting,  the  following  consider- 
ations will  make  clear  to  the  house  seeker  why 
one  side  of  a  street,  or  one  corner,  is  better 
than  another.  How  seldom  is  there  any  indi- 
cation in  advertisements  of  new  houses  as  to 
which  side  of  the  street  they  are  to  be  found 
on,  yet  the  difference  is  one  of  the  greatest  im- 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      105 

portance,  and  will  often,  if  considered,  make 
the  choice  between  two  houses  an  easy  one. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  position  of 
the  kitchen  when  dealing  with  the  question  of 
aspect.  Continuing  this  phase  of  the  subject, 
we  may  consider  the  relation  of  the  other 
rooms  to  outside  influence.  The  best  position 
for  the  dining  room  is  toward  the  southeast, 
since  here  we  get  the  early  morning  sun  in 
winter,  and  the  winter  sun  well  past  the  mid- 
day meal  if  there  be  a  southern  window,  while 
at  the  same  time  this  position  protects  the  din- 
ing room  from  the  rays  of  the  late  afternoon 
sun  in  summer.  If  the  kitchen  be  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  house,  as  already  recom- 
mended, this  will  bring  the  dining  room  into 
proper  relation  with  it. 

The  plans  in  Figures  1 1  and  12  show  a  house 
of  moderate  cost  which  in  the  arrangement  of 
its  rooms  illustrates  the  principles  above. 

For  the  general  day  living  room  of  the  fam- 
ily a  southerly  exposure  is  the  only  one  that 
ought  ever  to  be  considered.  The  aspect  of 
the  reception  room  is  a  matter  of  no  impor- 
tance, its  relation  to  the  front  door  fixing  its 
position  on  the  plan. 

For  the  library  a  northerly  exposure  gives 
excellent  light  for  serious  work,  though  such 


106 


THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 


an  aspect,  of  course,  is  rather  cold  and  cheer- 
less  in   winter.     A   western   exposure   is   the 


FIRST  FLCEfI^,.ELAM 


I  i 


Vv 


Fig.  II.    First  Floor  Plan  of  a  $5,000  house,  by  C.  M. 
Craig,  Architect. 

least  desirable  of  any,  owing  to  the  cold  west- 
erly winds  of  winter,  and  the  long  hot  summer 
afternoons  when  the  sun  in  the  latter  part  of 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      107 

the  day  is  approaching  the  horizon.  Under 
such  conditions  a  hbrary  is  almost  unusable, 
because  it  is  not  possible  to  admit  any  adequate 
amount  of  light  without  admitting  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun  also. 


io-crxi)--o* 


w 

Oos-     Cia. 


CH*>«»II» 
KJO'Vll"  O" 


SECOND  TLODI?  PLAN 
Fig.  12.    Second  Floor  Plan  of  the  Craig  house. 


For  all  bedrooms  a  southerly  aspect  is  most 
desirable,  that  is  to  say,  either  south,  southeast 
or  southwest.  For  reasons  already  suggested 
west  and  northwest  are  particularly  disagree- 


108 


THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 


able,  and  this  aspect  should  be  reserved  for 
the  less  important  rooms  in  the  house. 


YAr4 


^ — rrr^ 


-6ntvW0 


/ 


Hall 


C 


r> 


Torlor     T       , 


TorcK 


X 


Fig.    13.    First   Floor 
Plan. 


Fig.  14.     Second 
Floor  Plan. 


BEST  PLAN  FOR  A  SMALL  CITY  LOT 

Figures  13  and  14  show  the  first  and  second 
floor  plans  for  about  the  smallest  practicable 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      109 

house,  of  the  type  now  under  consideration, 
which  it  is  possible  to  build  on  a  city  lot.  The 
lot  is  supposed  to  be  sixteen  feet  wide  and 
eighty  feet  long.  On  the  ground  floor  we  find 
the  porch.  This  is  usually  regarded  as  an  im- 
portant adjunct  in  the  outlying  residential  dis- 
tricts. V  is  the  vestibule  and  E  H  the  en- 
trance hall.  From  this  opens  a  small  room 
10X12,  named  on  this  plan  the  parlor.  This 
term  parlor  is  used  throughout  this  book  in 
lieu  of  the  more  familiar  name  reception  room. 
It  opens  directly  off  the  entrance  hall  and  has 
no  other  door  of  communication  with  the 
house.  Its  purpose  has  already  been  ex- 
plained. 

The  hall,  which  is  often  called  the  reception 
hall,  combines  here  the  function  of  a  general 
sitting  room  and  a  staircase  hall.  It  opens  by 
a  wide  doorway  into  the  dining  room  and  is 
lighted  by  a  window  four  feet  wide  from  the 
narrow  light  well  between  the  two  houses.  In- 
creased space  for  this  window  is  made  by 
forming  the  shape  of  one  side  of  the  dining 
room  in  the  form  of  a  bay  as  indicated,  the 
other  oblique  side  of  the  bay  being  taken  up  by 
the  dining  room  china  closet.  On  the  opposite 
wall  a  space  is  arranged  for  a  shallow  side- 
board with  plate  shelves  on  either  side.     This 


110  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

room  is  10x12,  the  smallest  possible  dimensions 
for  such  a  room.  Adjoining  it  is  a  pantry  of 
generous  width,  next  to  which  is  the  foot  of 
the  back  stairs  to  the  second  floor. 

The  kitchen  is  9x11  and  has  two  roomy 
closets  one  of  which,  if  desired,  may  be  used 
for  the  refrigerator.  The  kitchen  porch  is 
little  more  than  an  open  air  passageway  under 
a  roof  with  steps  to  the  side  and  rear  yards. 
L  is  the  laundry,  with  the  servants'  closet 
opening  off. 

It  may  be  noted  in  regard  to  the  light  well 
that  its  value  would  be  greatly  enhanced  in 
all  cases  if  its  walls  were  painted  white,  and 
it  may  be  noted  further  that  a  window  at  the 
end  of  such  a  light  well,  however  narrow  this 
well  may  be,  is  many  times  more  valuable 
than  one  which  faces  the  well  at  right  angles. 
Two  fireplaces  are  shown;  one  in  the  parlor 
and  one  in  the  hall. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  between  the  entrance 
hall  and  the  hall  proper  a  double-swing  door 
is  shown.  As  a  rule  such  doors  have  not  been 
developed  to  their  proper  capacity,  having 
been  relegated  to  the  minor  purpose  of  auto- 
matically closing  the  thoroughfare  between 
the  dining  room,  pantry,  and  kitchen;  but 
they  may  be  made  ornamental  by  means  of 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      111 

leaded  glass  panels  and  should  be  used  with- 
out hesitation  wherever  (as  in  the  case  of  the 
hall  in  this  house)  it  is  desirable  that  any 
opening  which  might  cause  drafts  be  kept 
automatically  closed.  The  opening  from  the 
dining  room  to  the  hall  may  be  closed  either 
by  a  heavy  curtain  or  still  better  by  a  large 
sliding  door.  In  this  way,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  the  double  swing  door  at  the  head 
of  the  main  stairs,  the  lower  hall  can  be  kept 
as  free  from  drafts  as  any  other  room. 

A  large  closet  opening  off  the  hall  may  be 
used  partly  for  hats  and  coats  and  partly  for 
general  storage  purposes,  all  spaces  of  the 
latter  kind  being  specially  valuable  in  a  house 
of  this  kind. 


THE  UPPER  FLOORS 

On  the  second  floor  the  living  room  occu- 
pies the  entire  width  of  the  house,  with  a 
fireplace  having  closets  on  either  side.  If  a 
large  family  has  to  be  accommodated  this  may 
be  used  as  a  bedroom.  Two  family  bedrooms 
and  a  family  bathroom  are  shown  on  this 
floor,  the  servants'  bedroom  being  shown  in 
the  rear  over  the  kitchen  and  at  the  head  of 
the  back  stairs,  its  proper  place  under  every 


112  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

consideration.  The  bathroom  is  in  a  retired 
place  and  being  directly  over  the  pantry  below 
concentrates  the  plumbing  and  so  lessens  the 
cost. 

The  plan  of  the  third  floor  would  depend 
upon  the  amount  that  can  be  expended  upon 
the  house.  It  might  contain  only  two  bed- 
rooms over  the  front  portion  of  the  house,  the 
rear  extension  being  roofed  over  at  the  second 
story,  or  still  better  three  bedrooms  and  an  ad- 
ditional bathroom  might  be  added;  and  it 
would  make  a  very  small  further  addition  to 
the  cost  if  the  servants'  bedroom  were  carried 
up  at  least  a  half  story  higher  than  the  second 
floor  and  roofed  over  by  a  steeply  pitched  roof, 
giving  an  ample  storeroom,  the  general  utility 
of  which  would  fully  warrant  the  slight  addi- 
tional expense. 

This  plan  as  shown  and  described  repre- 
sents what  should  be  regarded  as  the  minimum 
accommodation  of  such  a  house  considered  as 
a  commercial  investment.  It  does  not  repre- 
sent the  full  possibility  of  such  a  house  built 
upon  such  a  lot,  should  one  prefer  a  smaller 
but  more  conveniently  arranged  house  to  a 
larger  house  but  one  with  relatively  meager 
accommodations,  since  the  arrangement  shown 
represents  merely  the  utmost  that  can  be  gotten 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      113 

out  of  a  plan  on  so  narrow  a  lot  to  meet  the 
average  commercial  requirements  usually  de- 
manded. To  improve  this  plan  to  its  utmost 
capacity  the  servants'  bedroom  should  be  en- 
larged to  include  the  whole  area  over  the 
laundry  (thus  affording  room  for  two  serv- 
ants,) and  the  bathroom  next  the  rear  stairs 
made  the  servants'  bathroom. 

Bedroom  number  two  should  then  be  di- 
vided into  two  parts,  one  of  which  would  be 
a  bathroom  opening  off  the  bedroom  number 
one,  which  would  be  used  as  a  guest's  room, 
and  the  other  part  fitted  up  as  a  capacious 
linen  closet  and  clothes  storage  closet. 

On  the  third  floor  the  space  over  the  serv- 
ants' bedroom  should  be  carried  up  to  form  a 
storeroom  as  previously  described,  and  three 
bedrooms  and  an  additional  bathroom  pro- 
vided on  that  floor.  The  front  room  is  the 
living  room.  The  bedroom  opening  off  the 
staircase  hall  might,  as  an  alternative  scheme, 
be  reserved  as  a  guest's  bedroom,  and  of  the 
two  bathrooms  on  this  floor  the  rear  one  is  for 
the  servants  and  the  intermediate  one  exclu- 
sively for  the  use  of  the  guest's  bedroom.  The 
servants'  bedroom  has  been  enlarged  to  afford 
ample  space  for  two  beds.  On  the  third  floor 
there  are  four  family  bedrooms  and  a  bath- 


114  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

room  but  this  arrangement  might  be  still  fur- 
ther improved  by  dividing  the  second  bedroom 
from  the  front  into  two  parts,  the  rear  of 
which  (with  its  window  opening  into  the 
court)  should  be  a  bathroom  for  the  use  of  the 
principal  family  bedroom  in  front,  and  the 
other  part  made  into  a  large  linen  closet  or 
storeroom.  The  two  rear  bedrooms  would 
then  use  the  rear  bathroom,  as  shown  in  the 
former  plan. 

While  this  would  undoubtedly  be  regarded 
as  an  extravagant  outlay  for  plumbing,  it  un- 
deniably combines  in  a  small  house  all  those 
conveniences  which  only  a  much  larger  house 
is  usually  supposed  to  give. 

In  both  of  these  houses  the  heating  appara- 
tus would  be  placed  under  the  staircase  hall 
the  room  under  the  parlor  being  reserved  for 
fuel. 

While  the  above  suggestions  savor,  con- 
fessedly, somewhat  of  extravagance,  they  have 
purposely  not  been  confined  within  the  limits 
of  the  strictest  economy,  judged  by  current 
house-operation  builders'  standards.  They 
are  presented  in  this  book  for  the  purpose  of 
stimulating  the  reader  to  demand  from  his 
operative  landlord  something  better  in  the  way 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      115 


■^   7  TorcU 


Kitcfferw 

13. 


JfanTr 


CI 


JnTtTqLA'cor* 


7" 


T* 


4fo 


"l^rlor     P-H 


T?.rck 


Fig.  IS.  Suburban 
House  on  a  twenty- 
five- foot  lot,  ground 
floor  plan. 


5crve».tits 


^aTK*^( 


'^^'^omr 


¥ 


crxL^d 


'^e.d^oem 


a 


Hall 


^ro:" 


3e4  J^oo"'»- 


Fig.   i6.     Second 
Floor  Plan. 


116  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

of  house  accommodation   than   the  genus   is 
usually  moved  to  offer. 

Improvements  in  real  estate  do  not,  in  the 
class  of  houses  which  form  the  topic  of  dis- 
cussion in  these  pages,  come  from  landlords' 
philanthropy,  but  from  demands  on  the  part 
of  tenants.  And  these  demands  will  be  made 
the  sooner,  and  the  more  insistently,  the  more 
renters  are  stimulated  to  think  for  themselves, 
to  know  what  they  want  and  why. 

A   NARROW   SUBURBAN   HOUSE 

Figures  15  and  16  show  the  first  and  second 
floor  plans  of  a  small  house  adapted  to  a  nar- 
row suburban  lot  twenty-five  feet  wide. 

The  house  itself  is  sixteen  feet  wide,  but  of 
course  has  the  advantage  over  the  city  house 
of  the  same  width  in  that  it  has  light  and  air 
on  all  four  sides,  whereby  the  plan  is  made 
much  simpler  in  arrangement.  In  this  plan 
the  arrangement  for  the  living  rooms  sug- 
gested on  page  99  has  been  utilized,  and  in- 
stead of  a  separate  dining  room  an  alcove,  in 
which  the  dining  table  may  be  placed,  is  shown 
opening  off  the  living  room.  A  curtain 
drawn  across  will  conceal  the  table  from  view 
when  desired. 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      117 

Although  only  one  bathroom  has  been  shown 
in  this  house,  the  same  modifications  may  be 
made  here  as  were  suggested  for  the  narrow 
city  house  shown  in  figures  13  and  14. 

The  third  floor  plan  of  this  suburban  house 
would  depend  upon  the  accommodation  re- 
quired. The  staircase  hall  and  the  front  bed- 
room could  be  carried  up  to  the  full  height, 
the  rest  remaining  as  a  half  story  under  the 
roof,  for  storage  purposes.  Or  an  additional 
amount  of  the  rear  portion  could  be  carried 
up  the  full  height  as  desired  and  another 
bathroom  added  if  the  expense  would  not  be 
regarded  as  prohibitive.  About  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  should  be  reckoned  on  as  the 
total  additional  expense  of  providing  the  ad- 
ditional bathroom.  Considerable  economy 
could  be  effected  in  building  such  suburban 
houses  if  the  owners  of  adjoining  lots  would 
combine  their  interests,  placing  the  houses  to- 
gether, with  a  party  wall  in  common,  and  re- 
adjusting the  plan  to  suit.  This  would  not 
require  any  radical  change  in  the  plan  and  the 
two  houses  need  not  have  identical  plans. 
The  gain  here  lies  in  the  substitution  of  one 
interior  wall  for  two  exterior  walls,  the  simpli- 
fication of  the  roof  problem,  and  especially  the 
gain  in  the  width  of  the  lot  left  between  ad- 


118  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

joining  houses.  In  the  plan  as  drawn,  only 
four  feet  is  available  on  either  side  of  the 
house  for  a  passageway.  Under  the  party  wall 
scheme  this  would  be  increased  to  eight  feet  for 
each  house,  while  if  adjoining  lot  owners  would 
pursue  a  similar  arrangement  the  houses  would 
be  sixteen  feet  apart,  instead  of  eight  feet  as 
in  figures  15  and  16,  or  twelve  feet  if  only  the 
two  owners  combined. 

The  house  shown  in  the  foregoing  fig- 
ures is  the  only  type  possible  for  a  lot 
twenty-five  feet  wide  if  a  free  passageway 
is  to  be  maintained  on  both  sides  of  the 
house,  and  suggests  the  absurdity  of  buy- 
ing country  property  by  the  acre  and  di- 
viding it  into  suburban  lots  only  twenty-five 
feet  wide. 

As  suggested  above,  a  double  house  on  a 
fifty  foot  lot  should  be  regarded  as  the  lowest 
amount  of  space  to  be  accepted,  and  this 
should  only  be  tolerated  where  the  lot  lies 
close  to  the  thickly  settled  portion  of  the  city 
and  prices  are  correspondingly  high.  Even 
under  the  best  conditions  (as  has  already  been 
shown)  only  sixteen  feet  of  open  space  can 
be  maintained  between  the  houses,  and  this  is 
too  little  for  real  comfort  and  privacy.  A  lot 
fifty  feet  in  width  for  a  single  house  should 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      119 


I 


\l 


Br&k 


v^ 


(Sr««4 


nL 


Fig.  17.    Fifty-foot  lot,  plan  of  the  ground  floor. 


ISO 


THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 


be  regarded  as  the  normal  lot  for  country  and 
suburban  districts  where  it  is  intended  to  pro- 
mote building  of  suburban  houses. 


Fig.  i8.     Plan  of  second  floor. 


A  WIDER  SUBURBAN  HOUSE 

Figures  17  and  18  show  the  plans  of  a 
suburban  lot  50  feet  wide  but  with  several 
unusual  conditions.  This  will  serve  as  an 
illustration  of  the  way  in  which  such  condi- 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      121 

tions  may  serve  to  increase  the  value  of  the 
lot  if  they  are  favorable,  or  may  be  minimized 
if  unfavorable. 

In  this  case  the  adjoining  lots  were  wider, 
and  it  was  possible  to  build  the  house  with  a 
frontage  of  forty  feet,  over  all.  In  order  to 
keep  the  grass  plot  the  maximum  width,  the 
service  and  family  entrance  paths  have  been 
placed  alongside  the  fence  lines  on  the  opposite 
sides  of  the  lot.  Moreover,  it  should  be  noted 
that  this  house  fronts  to  the  north:  an  un- 
favorable aspect  except  that  it  made  it  easy  to 
carry  out  the  owner's  wishes  that  the  orna- 
mental flower  garden  should  be  in  the  rear  of 
the  house,  with  the  principal  rooms  on  all 
floors  facing  in  that  direction. 

The  plan  accordingly  conforms  to  these  con- 
ditions, and  should  be  regarded  as  a  solution  of 
a  special  problem.  It  is  here  shown  for  the 
purpose  of  indicating  the  important  principle 
of  making  each  house  meet  the  special  condi- 
tions which  arise  from  the  peculiarities  of 
ownership  and  site.  If  the  additional  bath- 
room on  the  second  floor  is  not  required  it 
could  be  omitted,  and  the  space  so  occupied 
either  thrown  out  of  the  house  altogether  by 
roofing  over  the  verandah  and  porch  at  the  first 
story,   or   the   whole   thrown   into  the   room 


1«2  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

marked    "  guest's    bedroom."     The    expense 
would  be  about  the  same  either  way. 

On  the  third  floor,  two  family  bedrooms 
were  provided  on  the  south  side  of  the  house 
overlooking  the  garden,  and  the  north  side  of 
that  floor  was  used  for  storage  purposes.  A 
bathroom  was  installed  on  the  third  floor,  but 
that  is  a  matter  for  special  consideration  in 
each  case  and,  in  the  present  state  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  domestic  plan,  would  usually 
be  regarded  as  an  extravagance.  The  laundry 
in  this  house  was  in  the  basement  with  a  rear 
entrance  and  walk  screened  by  a  hedge  sepa- 
rating it  from  the  ornamental  flower  garden 
and  leading  to  the  laundry  drying  yard  in  the 
rear  of  the  house. 

A   BUNGALOW 

Figures  19  and  20  show  bungalow  plans. 
Figure  19  represents  the  bungalow  in  the  first 
stage  of  its  existence  and  figure  20  shows  how 
the  original  house  was  preserved  and  made  to 
form  a  nucleus  for  a  larger  one  to  meet  the 
increasing  family's  demands.  Such  a  house  as 
this  would  be  well  enough  adapted  as  an  all-the- 
year-round  residence,  but  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi it  would  probably  be  built  only  for  sum- 
mer use. 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      123 


The  materials  used  for  the  outside  walls 
would  depend  upon  the  local  conditions,  and 
should  be  made  to  conform  to  them  as  closely  as 
possible.  Most  satisfactory  effects  will  as  a 
general  rule  always  be  obtained  if  local  material 


noom 


-    .-L 


\ 


± 


T 


'Boffi 

-a- 


be  used,  especially  in 
country  houses,  un- 
less they  be  of  the 
most  formal  type. 
In  this  latter  case  ex- 
ceptions to  the  gen- 
eral rule  are  some- 
times advisable,  but 
they  remain  excep- 
tions and  should  be 
made  only  for  press- 
ing reasons. 

For  such  a  bunga- 
low as  this  in  a  heav-  

ily  forested  region  the  Fig-  iQ-    Plan  of  Bungalow, 
•^  .  first  stage. 

most  appropriate  ma- 
terial would  be  logs  hewn  to  fit,  with  the  bark 
left  on;  the  interior  partitions  being  finished  in 
the  usual  way.  Foundations  should  be  of  field 
stone  with  the  interior  chimneys  of  brick  if 
these  are  easily  procurable;  otherwise  of  stone. 
Special  circumstances  might  render  it  advis- 
able to  build  such  a  bungalow  of  reinforced 


VVfevrvct* 


IM 


THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 


concrete,  in  which  case  the  exterior  walls 
should  be  whitewashed.  Water  should  be  sup- 
plied to  the  house  from  an  elevated  tank  in 
order  to  get  the  necessary  pressure   for  the 


r T — 


Bed  IStoin. 


V«rorv4« 


Fig.  20.     Plan  of  a  Bungalow,  second  stage. 

plumbing  apparatus,  the  tank  itself  being  filled 
by  a  ram,  if  stream  conditions  are  favorable; 
a  windmill ;  or  an  engine  driven  either  by  gas- 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE  HOUSE      125 

oline  or  hot  air.  The  hot  air  engine  is  satis- 
factory provided  the  services  of  someone  are 
available  to  give  it  frequent  attention,  other- 
wise it  cannot  be  recommended.  If  a  hot  air 
engine  is  selected  see  that  it  is  of  ample  ca- 
pacity, as  there  is  a  tendency  to  overrate  its 
horsepower. 

Considering  the  house  as  an  agreeable  ad- 
junct to  the  landscape,  a  windmill  would  be 
the  most  satisfactory  source  of  power;  and  if 
it  and  the  tank  and  the  pump  room  were  com- 
bined in  one  structure  either  immediately  an- 
nexed to  the  house  or  detached  from  it  though 
still  in  relation  to  it  (considering  both  from 
the  point  of  view  of  the  composition  of  a 
picture  in  the  landscape),  very  agreeable  ef- 
fects can  be  produced. 

It  will  be  noticed  in  this  plan  that  the  dining 
room  is  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  house, 
contrary  to  our  usual  rule.  In  this  case  (and 
the  exception  holds  for  all  similar  cases)  the 
bungalow  was  intended  primarily  for  summer 
occupation  and  the  western  and  northwestern 
sides  are  abundantly  protected  by  forest  trees 
from  the  late  evening  suns  of  summer  and  the 
cold  northwest  gales  of  winter. 

The  houses  whose  plans  are  shown  in  this 
chapter  must  be  regarded  as  types  only,  be- 


126  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

cause  it  has  not  been  possible  to  enter  into 
specifications  regarding  those  details  of  site  and 
ownership,  which  are  so  essential  to  a  proper 
solution  of  every  individual  problem. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  HOUSE  REFINED 

There  is  no  word  in  the  English  language 
that  has  been  more  abused  or  that  has  had  more 
crimes  committed  in  its  name  than  the  term 
"  artistic."  An  Oxford  dictionary  at  hand 
defines  it  as  "  relating  to  a  high  degree  of  art," 
but  its  every  day  meaning  appears  to  be  — 
"  something  different "  and  especially  some- 
thing "  ornamented."  It  would  be  well  there- 
fore if  it  could  be  tabooed  for  a  generation  or 
so  until  its  proper  use  might  be  restored. 

Every  kind  of  heterogeneous,  incongruous, 
and  ugly  combination  of  objects,  in  them- 
selves eminently  uninteresting  and  in  groups 
defying  all  fundamental  rules,  whether  of  anal- 
ysis or  synthesis,  are  popularly  regarded  as 
having  received  the  hall-mark  of  authority 
when  they  are  dubbed  with  that  much  abused 
term. 

SINS  IN  ART 

It  is  especially  in  questions  relating  to  the 
arranging  of  the  interior  of  the  house  that  the 
127 


128  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

most  abominable  sins  have  been  committed  in 
its  name.  We  Americans  are  greatly  inter- 
ested in  art,  passing  as  we  are  into  the  third 
stage  of  our  national  development ;  but  lacking 
therefore,  as  a  rule,  an  appreciation  of  two 
essentials  which  form  the  groundwork  of  all 
good  art  —  that  is  to  say,  good  feeling  and 
simplicity.  Doubtless  we  shall  overcome  this 
defect  in  time,  but  that  time  would  be  greatly 
hastened  if  there  were  a  more  general  appre- 
ciation of  the  truth  that  every  agreeable  com- 
position in  whatever  field  of  art  is  pleasing  in 
the  direct  proportion  in  which  it  embodies  these 
two  fundamental  qualities  of  simplicity  and 
unity. 

The  very  word  "  art "  itself  is  used  so  care- 
lessly, because  it  is  regarded  as  something  ex- 
traneous, some  quality  that  can  be  added  to  a 
thing  already  existing. 

The  greatest  periods  of  art  have  been  those 
in  which  the  best  products  of  the  time  have 
been  in  a  large  measure  unconsciously  "  artis- 
tic "  and  men  produced  things  which  are 
now  regarded  as  beautiful  because  they  them- 
selves had  an  innate  feeling  for  beauty.  In 
these  best  periods  of  art  there  were  not  two 
kinds  of  things;  those  which  displayed  the  qual- 
ities of  "  art  "  and  those  which  did  not. 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  129 

There  were  not  two  different  categories  of 
chairs  and  tables  and  knives  and  forks  and 
spoons;  those  in  one  category  embodying 
qualities  which  to-day  would  be  termed 
"  artistic  "  and  the  other  lacking  those  qual- 
ities; but,  on  the  contrary,  all  objects  of  what- 
ever material  they  might  be  made  were  pleas- 
ing, the  only  difference  being  that  some  were 
simpler  than  others,  some  made  of  less  val- 
uable material  than  others,  some  had  less  time 
and  perhaps  thought  bestowed  upon  their 
manufacture  than  others.  Nowadays  we  have 
rugs  and  "  art  rugs,"  whatever  these  latter 
may  be. 

SIMPLICITY  AND  UNITY 

Let  us  proceed  to  an  application  of  the  idea. 
In  the  first  place  the  plan  of  the  house  and  its 
individual  rooms  ought  to  embody  consider- 
ations which  make  for  genuine  artistic  ef- 
fects. Greater  feeling  for  proportion  in  the 
dimensions  of  the  room  itself,  in  the  widths 
and  heights  of  its  doors  and  windows,  in  their 
position  in  the  several  walls  —  all  are  funda- 
mental. Only  that  room  in  which  these  mat- 
ters have  been  carefully  considered  will  give 
the  highest  degree  of  pleasure,  although  of 
course  we  may  do  much   by   unsympathetic 


180  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

after  treatment  to  nullify  the  work  of  the  most 
competent  architect. 

What  is  meant  by  simplicity  and  unity? 
Assuming  the  room,  with  its  bare  walls  and 
ceiling  and  floor  and  doors  and  windows,  what 
shall  we  do  with  it  to  make  it  habitable?  Ef- 
fects are  produced  here  chiefly  by  two,  the 
qualities  of  texture  and  color,  although  a 
third,  proportion,  is  not  absent.  Determine 
then  in  the  first  upon  some  general  color 
scheme  for  the  room  which  will  pull  it  together 
and  unify  it. 

It  is  astonishing  how  much  can  be  done  in 
this  way  to  secure  repose  and  even  dignity  in 
a  room  which  has  been  very  ill  designed 
with  regard  to  its  architectonic  features.  The 
worse  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  the 
darker  should  be  the  tone  of  the  predomi- 
nating color,  and  in  some  cases  it  may  even  be 
necessary  to  carry  a  very  dark  tone  of  color 
over  walls  and  woodwork  alike  in  order  to 
subdue  riotous  elements.  A  very  dark  tone 
for  the  woodwork  and  lower  walls  is,  for  this 
reason,  especially  suitable  for  a  library. 

LIGHTING  A   ROOM 

Unity  is  also  better  secured  in  this  connec- 
tion  by   carrying  the   principal   color   of   the 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  131 

room  high  up  on  the  walls,  even  to  within  a 
foot  or  two  of  the  ceiling  if  necessary.  Ceil- 
ings of  course  should  be,  as  a  rule,  much 
lighter  than  the  side  walls.  This  is  espe- 
cially necessary  where  the  actual  lighting  of 
the  room  must  be  considered  from  a  practical 
standpoint,  as  in  libraries,  for  example,  or  in 
other  working  rooms.  In  this  connection  also 
it  may  be  noted  that  where  it  is  desired  to  get 
a  maximum  amount  of  light  in  any  particular 
room  without  materially  altering  the  color 
scheme  it  can  be  most  readily  accomplished  by 
raising  the  window  heads  to  the  ceiling  line. 
If  this  is  done  and  a  light  ceiling  secured,  the 
increase  in  the  lighting  of  the  room  will  be 
astonishing.  It  is  important  also  that  win- 
dows should  be  placed  rather  nearer  the 
corners  of  a  room,  than  toward  the  center 
since  a  centrally  concentrated  light  in  a  room 
—  especially  when  it  comes  from  one  side 
only  —  is  of  all  lights  the  most  trying  on  the 
eyes.  This  principle  has  been  fully  recognized 
in  Germany,  where  the  earlier  idea  of  light- 
ing school  rooms  from  the  left  hand  side  has 
been  abandoned  in  favor  of  lighting  from  two 
opposite  sides  of  the  room,  wherever  it  is  pos- 
sible to  secure  this. 

The    dominant    color   having   been    deter- 


132  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

mined,  and  whether  its  tone  is  to  be  Hghter  or 
darker  must  depend  on  the  consideration  sug- 
gested above,  it  is  advisable  not  to  introduce 
another  color  into  a  room  except  after  the 
most  careful  study  of  the  problem.  When 
in  doubt  use  a  lighter  tone  of  the  same  color 
or  a  darker  one,  for  all  of  the  principal  ob- 
jects, including  even  the  carpet  or  rug.  That 
is  not  to  deny  that  there  is  a  harmony  of  con- 
trast which  is  also  agreeable  in  its  proper  place, 
but  it  is  more  difficult  to  do  well;  while  in  all 
cases  of  doubt  and  especially  where  economy 
is  desired  it  is  advisable  to  keep  the  color 
scheme  uniform  throughout  if  possible.  The 
pictures  of  two  European  bedrooms  confirm 
this  point.  Such  a  method  of  procedure  also 
goes  a  long  way  towards  securing  the  second 
element  —  simplicity. 

By  simplicity  is  meant  the  avoidance  of  all 
diverse  objects  which  will  tend  to  distract  one's 
attention  from  the  primary  scheme.  The 
more  you  break  up  the  composition  into  small 
parts  the  greater  danger  you  incur  through 
such  complexity. 

The  Japanese  illustrate  this  principle  very 
well  by  hanging  only  one  picture  on  the  wall 
of  the  room.  We  need  not  proceed  to  such 
an  extreme,  but  it  is  important  that  the  prin- 


Two  "Art  Nouveau"  bedrooms 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  13S 

ciple  should  be  observed.  Especially  avoid 
cluttering  up  the  room  with  a  multiplicity  of 
entirely  unrelated  objects;  unrelated  that  is  in 
form,  color,  and  texture  —  in  other  words  ob- 
jects forming  no  part  of  an  agreeable  com- 
position. The  classification  necessary  in  mu- 
seums produces  results  of  this  kind,  but  we 
disregard  the  unpleasant  effect  for  the  sake  of 
convenience  in  studying  the  collection.  Liv- 
ing rooms,  however,  should  have  nothing  in 
common  with  the  museum. 

The  illustrations  at  pages  97,  132,  and  180 
have  been  especially  chosen  to  demonstrate  the 
truth  of  this  principle.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  imitate  them  to  accomplish  the  results  they 
show  of  the  successful  application  of  the  prin- 
ciple. Most  of  them,  indeed,  exceed  the  scale 
of  expenditures  dealt  with  in  these  pages. 
But  a  study  of  them  will  clear  the  mind  of 
confusion  regarding  such  matters,  and  it  can 
be  seen  how  the  value  of  any  composition  of 
form  and  color  is  increased  by  restraint  and 
simplicity,  and  how  the  beauty  of  an  object 
is  enhanced  by  isolation  against  a  sympa- 
thetic but  much  subdued  background.  Ger- 
mans and  Austrians  have  studied  Japanese  art 
to  good  purpose.  They  have  not  copied  it, 
nor  need  we  copy  these  Teutonic  examples; 


134  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

but  these  people  have  seen  what  its  funda- 
mental ideas  are,  and  their  value,  and  have 
applied  them  to  European  use.  We  might 
do  the  same,  but  for  the  present  purpose, 
probably  more  immediate  good  will  result 
from  a  study  of  the  work  of  the  adapter  rather 
than  of  the  originator.  The  illustrations  are 
especially  commended  to  those  worthy  peo- 
ple who  cannot  understand  why  a  collection 
of  interesting  objects  is  not,  of  itself,  neces- 
sarily interesting. 


DECORATING  ADJOINING  ROOMS 

The  decorative  treatment  of  adjoining 
rooms  may  next  be  considered.  Whether 
such  rooms  should  be  brought  together  by 
using  the  same  color  scheme  for  both  or  a 
different  one  for  each  may  be  determined 
partly  by  local  circumstances  and  partly  by 
individual  taste;  for  example,  in  the  plan 
shown  in  Figure  8,  (see  page  85)  the  small 
entrance  hall  may  well  be  treated  by  itself. 

The  general  rule  for  entrance  halls  should 
be  simplicity  in  the  decorative  details,  with 
quiet  colors  of  a  darker  rather  than  a  lighter 
hue  and  with  few  decorative  adjuncts,  such 
as  pictures  or  other  objects,  on  the  wall.     In 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  135 

this  case  the  reception  room  might  very  well 
be  treated  in  white  or  cream  color  somewhat 
in  the  Louis  Quinze  fashion. 

Reception  rooms,  although  reserved  in  one 
sense  for  a  subordinate  use,  should  never  have 
the  appearance  of  having  been  neglected  in 
the  decorative  scheme.  They  may  always  be 
treated  in  as  dainty  though  simple  manner  as 
may  be  desired  (and  simplicity  here  is  always 
advisable),  the  basic  idea  being  that  while  they 
are  to  be  reserved  principally  for  receiving 
casual  visitors  one  should  not  be  given  the 
impression  of  discourtesy  by  having  this  par- 
ticular room  neglected  or  slighted  in  its  deco- 
rative treatment.  On  the  contrary,  a  feeling  of 
resentment,  however  slight,  at  not  being  taken 
into  the  more  intimate  family  rooms  will  be 
avoided  if  the  parlor  in  which  visitors  are 
received  is  agreeable  and  carefully  treated 
and  generally  good  to  look  at. 

In  the  same  plan  and  in  all  similar  cases 
where  the  house  is  small,  it  would  be  quite 
proper  to  make  the  most  of  the  combined  areas 
of  the  stair  hall  and  dining  room  by  employing 
the  same  color  scheme  for  both.  This  will 
avoid  emphasizing  the  fact  that  they  are  in 
reality  only  small  apartments  and  give  to  the 
lower  floor  of  the  house  an  air  of  relative 


136  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

spaciousness.  In  a  larger  house,  however, 
it  would  be  perhaps  better  to  treat  them  sep- 
arately. 


COLOR  FOR  HALL  AND  DINING  ROOM 

If  the  stair  hall  were  really  large  and 
amounted  to  a  family  lounging  room  there 
would  be  no  objection  to  keeping  the  colors 
rather  dark  and  low  in  tone  even  if  the  apart- 
ment were  not  very  well  lighted  by  its  win- 
dows. A  dining  room  is  always  better  treated 
in  low  tones,  with  the  wall  color  carried  up 
perhaps  quite  as  high  as  the  doors  and  win- 
dows, and  a  plate  rail  or  some  similar  divid- 
ing line  at  that  level.  The  ceiling  tone  should 
be  light  if  the  surface  is  unbroken.  In  dining 
rooms  in  large  houses  which  show  deep  ceiling 
beams  there  is  no  objection  to  having  these 
beams  very  dark  in  tone  and  the  intervening 
panels  even  may  also  be  kept  dark  or  a  con- 
trasting color  may  be  used  if  desired. 

The  reason  why  dull  tones  rather  dark  in 
hue  are  applied  to  a  dining  room  is  that  they 
from  the  best  possible  background  for  the 
dinner  table  and  the  gowns  of  the  guests  on 
festive  occasions.  This  also  throws  into 
brilliant  relief  such  porcelain  or  china  as  may 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  137 

be  displayed  on  the  walls  or  in  the  cupboards 
and  the  silver  on  the  sideboard.  Mahogany, 
or  walnut  when  it  can  be  had,  seems  the  most 
suitable  wood  for  the  dining  room  furniture 
for  a  similiar  reason  and  the  seats,  if  up- 
holstered, should  correspond  in  tone. 

If  there  be  a  drawing  room  in  the  house 
which  is  used  in  the  sense  of  the  old  drawing 
room,  that  is  an  evening  room  into  which  the 
family  withdraws  after  dinner,  a  light  tone 
is  desirable. 


COLOR  AND  TEXTURE 

So  far  as  colors  in  general  are  concerned, 
there  are  no  unsuitable  colors.  That  is  to  say 
it  cannot  be  declared  that  blue  or  yellow  or 
green  are  more  suitable  for  domestic  use  than 
red.  This  applies  to  bedrooms  as  well  as  to 
the  day  apartments.  It  all  depends  upon  the 
tone  of  the  color  used.  There  are  ugly  reds 
and  agreeable  reds,  and  a  tone  of  red  may 
look  well  in  one  place  and  prove  very  dis- 
agreeable in  another,  and  so  of  all  the  other 
colors.  It  is  quality  of  color  that  counts,  al- 
ways. 

Then  there  is  texture  to  be  considered,  a 
term  which  refers  to  the  mechanical  finish  of 


138  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

the  surface;  whether  it  be  smooth  or  rough, 
plain  or  marked  off  into  patterns. 

For  libraries  a  quiet  dark  tone  is  best,  as  has 
already  been  suggested,  both  in  the  woodwork 
and  on  the  walls  and  floor.  The  family  living 
room  which  takes  the  place  of  the  drawing 
room  in  small  houses  and  is  used  as  a  common 
meeting  room  both  by  day  and  night,  should  be 
treated  in  cheerful  colors,  so  chosen  as  to  look 
well  both  by  daylight  and  by  artificial  illumi- 
nation as  well. 


THE  FLOORS 

As  regards  floors  generally  the  rule  should 
be  either  to  show  the  natural  woodwork 
varnished  or  waxed,  so  far  as  it  is  shown  out- 
side the  floor  covering,  or  to  cover  the  floor 
entirely  with  carpets,  rugs,  or  matting,  so  that 
the  wooden  floor  is  not  seen. 

Never  paint  floors  under  any  circumstances, 
as  it  is  impossible  to  keep  a  painted  floor  in 
good  condition.  A  very  charming  effect  may 
be  had  by  showing  a  margin  of  the  lighter 
toned  Japanese  or  Chinese  mattings  around 
the  edge  of  the  room,  covering  the  center  with 
a  rug.  Such  a  rug  might  well  show  the  pre- 
vailing color  of  the  side  walls  in  two  tones, 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  139 

while  the  matting  and  the  ceiling  may  show 
a  second  color  if  desired.  As  a  background 
for  pictures  it  is  of  course  well  understood 
that  the  wall  should  show  no  pattern  in  the 
paper,  or  whatever  the  covering  material  may 
be;  or  at  any  rate  if  there  be  a  pattern  it 
should  be  an  exceedingly  small  and  incon- 
spicuous one,  so  that  it  is  really  used  for  giving 
sparkle  and  texture  to  the  surface  rather  than 
for  showing  any  well  defined  design  in  itself. 
It  the  Mid- Victorian  period,  long  since  happily 
passed  away  in  the  world  of  art,  carpets  and 
rugs  showed  most  alarming  designs.  Trellises 
with  roses  climbing  about  them,  for  example, 
gave  one  a  feeling  of  great  insecurity  while 
walking  across  the  floor.  Such  patterns  are 
no  longer  seen,  and  it  is  advisable  to  keep 
the  pattern  of  the  rug  in  subdued  tones  what- 
ever they  may  be  and  the  simpler  the  pattern 
(as  a  rule)  the  better. 

The  matting  border  above  referred  to  is 
particularly  suited  for  bedrooms  and  with 
white  or  lightly  tinted  ceilings,  the  ceiling  color 
carrying  down  to  form  a  wide  frieze,  with  a 
paper,  let  us  say,  showing  blue  and  white  ef- 
fects in  simple  designs  with  a  white  or  cream 
colored  matting  on  the  floor,  showing  blue 
spots  formed  by  some  geometrical  pattern  at 


140  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

infrequent  intervals  and  a  simple  blue  and 
white  rug  over  the  floor  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.  This  makes  an  exceedingly  agreeable 
combination. 

Equally  pleasing  effects  can  be  had  in 
yellows  or  greens,  or  even  in  reds  if  the  reds 
are  kept  rather  dull. 

DRAPERIES 

As  for  the  general  question  of  hangings  it 
is  not  possible  to  lay  down  any  general  rule, 
except  that  in  such  apartments  as  are  kept 
quiet  and  simple  in  their  color  treatment  the 
hangings  should  not  display  large  figures, 
especially  if  in  strongly  contrasted  colors.  A 
better  effect  is  usually  obtained  with  all  dra- 
peries if  they  are  allowed  to  hang  in  straight 
folds  rather  than  when  looped  back.  This 
makes  for  simplicity,  although  there  is  no  real 
objection  to  looping  back  if  there  be  a 
preference  for  that  method  of  treatment. 

Brass  rods  now  so  commonly  replace  the 
older  fashion  of  wooden  rods  that  it  is  per- 
haps unnecessary  to  counsel  their  use.  Dull 
brass  or  dull  bronze  effects  both  for  the  cur- 
tains and  the  rings  are  more  agreeable  than 
the  brighter  varieties.     It  is  far  better  to  err 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  141 

on  the  side  of  few  rather  than  more  draperies, 
especially  about  windows,  while  the  old  fash- 
ioned lambrequin  is  not  to  be  recommended, 
although  there  are  some  signs  recently  of  its 
revival. 

The  general  fault  with  most  hangings  is  that 
they  are  too  narrow  for  the  opening  and  at- 
tention should  be  paid  to  the  rod  lengths  to 
see  that  they  reach  well  beyond  and  that 
ample  stuff  be  used  so  that  the  curtains  will 
come  together  without  leaving  gaps  at  the 
jambs  of  the  doors  or  windows  when  they  are 
pulled. 

FURNITURE 

As  to  furniture  in  general,  its  first  requisite 
should  be  that  it  is  suitable  and  comfortable. 
Second,  that  it  be  simple  in  its  outlines,  unless 
one  is  going  in  for  the  extravagances  of  the 
Louis  styles,  when  archaeological  considerations 
permit  some  departure  from  this  principle. 
It  is  highly  desirable  if  any  agreeable  effect  is 
to  be  obtained  that  all  furniture  in  the  room 
be  of  the  same  color,  and  that  the  upholster- 
ing materials  do  not  clash  with  the  color 
scheme.  Morris  furniture  has  the  great  dis- 
advantage of  being  cumbersome  and  heavy 
and  may  very  well  be  replaced  in  most  in- 


142  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

stances  by  the  newer  fashion  of  wicker  furni- 
ture which  is  now  being  made  on  pretty  much 
the  same  lines  and  is  infinitely  more  agreeable 
to  handle  and,  as  a  rule,  to  look  at. 


BEAUTY  DOES  NOT  MEAN  EXTRAVAGANCE 

There  is  a  popular  obsession  that  art  and 
extravagant  outlay  are  synonymous  terms. 
The  simplest  materials  are  beautiful  when 
properly  made  up.  The  manufacture  of  rag 
carpets  and  rugs  is  now  getting  into  compe- 
tent hands,  and  some  very  agreeable  color  ef- 
fects in  this  humble  material  are  to  be  seen  in 
the  shops.  The  cheapest  wall  papers,  too, 
sometimes  give  quite  delightful  effects,  if  due 
care  be  taken  in  their  selection,  and  there  is 
no  reason  why  inexpensive  furniture  should 
not  be  made  equally  pleasing,  as  indeed  some 
of  it  is. 

Innumerable  offenses  against  good  taste  are 
caused  by  the  passion  for  bargains.  Rem- 
nants of  expensive  materials  are  seized  upon, 
if  offered  at  considerable  reduction,  taken 
home  and  worked  up  into  all  sorts  of  offensive 
objects  which  have  no  relation  to  the  room 
in  which  they  are  placed. 

Although  there  is  a  revival  of  the  vogue 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  143 

for  wooden  beds,  some  of  them  being  manu- 
factured in  very  expensive  patterns  and  look- 
ing very  satisfactory  in  the  shop  windows, 
they  are  better  avoided  for  reasons  which  will 
be  well  understood.  Brass  beds,  in  simple  pat- 
terns devoid  of  sharp  corners  and  knobs,  are 
more  agreeable  and  sanitary. 

If  one  can  afford  it,  it  is  worth  while  to 
tile  for  at  least  four  feet  the  side  walls  of  the 
bathroom,  and  the  floors  should  at  least  be 
covered  with  linoleum.  A  bath  rug  dark  in 
tone  and  of  a  dull  hue,  in  some  dye  which  will 
not  come  off  on  wet  feet,  should  be  placed  on 
such  floors.  Tiled  walls  in  the  kitchen  are 
of  course  the  ideal  finish,  but  if  these  cannot 
be  had  linoleum  can  be  substituted  on  the  walls 
to  very  good  advantage.  Care  must  be  taken, 
however,  that  it  is  laid  by  an  expert,  other- 
wise it  will  buckle  and  tear  away  from  its 
fastenings.  Denim  in  various  hues  and  tones 
makes  an  admirable  wall  covering  for  bed- 
rooms and  may  be  divided  into  panels  by 
wooden  strips,  the  expense  of  this  treatment 
not  being  very  great. 

Hardwood  floors  should  receive  very  care- 
ful treatment.  The  best  of  all  flooring  ma- 
terials is  oak  both  for  its  wearing  qualities 
and  its  color.     For  floors  that  will  have  much 


144.  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

hard  wear  maple  is  good  and  not  expensive,  but 
clear  maple  floor  selected  for  color  is  rather  dif- 
ficult to  procure  and  is  scarcely  suitable 
for  domestic  work.  Of  the  cheaper  hard- 
wood floors  North  Carolina  pine  is  excellent 
and  of  better  quality  than  Georgia  pine. 

HARDWOOD    FLOORS 

Hardwood  floors  should  be  waxed  rather 
than  varnished,  as  the  former  finish  is  much 
more  durable,  shows  marks  less,  and  is  easily 
renewed.  Some  of  the  prepared  wax  polishes 
such  as  Butcher's  Boston  Polish  are  excellent, 
but  it  is  well  to  apply  a  coat  or  two  of  linseed 
oil  and  turpentine  mixed  with  a  little  dryer 
before  the  wax  finish  is  put  on.  This  pre- 
liminary application  brings  out  the  grain  of 
the  floor.  Better  still,  before  the  oil  and  tur- 
pentine is  applied  a  paste  filler  may  be  rubbed 
into  the  floor,  although  this  is  not  absolutely 
necessary.  Floors  thoroughly  waxed  and 
polished  by  hand  will  need  no  further  at- 
tention for  many  months  to  come  and  a 
monthly  brushing  of  the  wax  with  some 
woolen  cloth  and  plenty  of  elbow  grease  is 
all  that  is  necessary  to  keep  it  in  good  condi- 
tion. 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  145 

The  yellow  pine  floors  and  the  floors  of 
softer  wood,  like  white  pine  or  spruce,  may- 
be stained  to  good  advantage  with  water 
stains,  but  the  soft  wood  floors  must  be  var- 
nished after  the  application  of  the  color  stain. 
Cheap  varnishes  should  be  avoided  and  it  is 
better  to  rely  upon  a  good  patented  brand  such 
as  Murphy's,  Crockett's  or  the  Detroit  or 
Chicago  Varnish  Company's  products.  This 
should  be  put  on  in  at  least  two  coats,  and  if 
any  roughnesses  appear  they  may  be  gone  over 
with  a  fine  emery  paper  and  smoothed  down. 
If  the  high  polish  of  the  varnish  is  objection- 
able the  last  coat  when  thoroughly  dried  may 
be  gone  over  with  a  little  floor  wax  polished) 
with  a  brush. 

Even  if  the  principal  stairs  are  of  hardwood, 
a  quieter  house  will  be  secured  if  a  strip  of 
carpet  is  put  down  the  middle  well  secured  by 
any  of  the  ordinary  patented  stair  carpet  fas- 
teners. 

Kitchen  floors  on  account  of  the  hard  usage 
which  they  receive  should  either  be  entirely 
covered  with  linoleum  or  else  treated  with  hot 
paraffin  well  rubbed  in,  although  this  entails 
considerable  trouble  in  its  first  application. 
It  forms  a  hard  impervious  surface  which  is 
practically  non-absorbent  and  worn  places  are 


146  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

easily  renewed  with  a  fresh  application  on  the 
worn  spots. 


TREATMENT  OF  WOODWORK 

With  regard  to  the  question  of  woodwork  in 
general,  that  is  doors  and  window  trims,  etc., 
painted  woodwork  has  the  double  advantage 
of  being  inexpensive  and  flexible  as  to  the 
color  scheme.  If  the  woodwork  is  of  a  kind 
which  develops  pitch  or  resinous  spots  of  any 
kind  all  knot  holes  and  similar  spots  should 
be  thoroughly  covered  with  shellac. 

Plastered  walls  of  course  can  be  painted  as 
well  as  the  plastered  ceilings,  but  it  is  very 
much  better  to  cover  them  with  paper,  since 
this  is  easily  and  cheaply  renewed.  Good  oil 
paint  can  always  be  washed  with  soap  and 
water  provided  not  too  much  soap  is  used  and 
none  is  allowed  to  dry  on  the  paint.  Varnish, 
of  course,  should  never  be  washed,  though 
damp  cloths  may  be  used. 

TREATMENT  OF  FIREPLACES 

With  regard  to  the  treatment  of  fireplaces 
the  most  satisfactory  in  the  long  run  is  to 
have  a  border  of  tiles  with  a  wooden  mantel. 


THE  HOUSE  REFINED  147 

the  latter  painted  to  correspond  with  the  rest 
of  the  woodwork.  Brick  fireplaces  and  more 
especially  brick  mantels  always  strike  an  in- 
congruous note  both  in  color  and  texture  in 
any  scheme  of  decoration  and  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  harmonize  them.  Rough  stone 
mantels  are  still  worse  in  this  respect  and 
should  be  relegated  to  the  log  cabin  and  the 
summer  bungalow. 

Gas  and  electric  light  fixtures  as  found  in 
the  market  are  usually  ugly  and  difficult  to 
manage.  Only  those  of  the  simplest  and 
quietest  designs  should  be  used.  Those  giving 
dull  brass  or  black  iron  effects  are  the  best. 
The  latter  may  be  painted  if  desired,  though 
this  should  only  be  adopted  as  a  last  resort. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HEATING  AND  VENTILATING 

Heating  and  ventilating  are  usually  con- 
sidered together,  because  the  only  system  of 
ventilation  which  is  applicable  to  domestic 
work  (except  in  houses  of  the  most  expensive 
character)  depends  for  its  operation  on  the 
principle  of  a  body  of  fresh  heated  air  rising 
into  the  various  rooms  of  the  house  and  dis- 
placing other  bodies  of  cooler  vitiated  air. 
Such  a  system  may  be  operated  either  by 
means  of  a  fresh  air  furnace,  a  coil  of  steam 
pipes  connected  with  a  fresh  air  intake,  or  by 
any  other  similar  and  suitable  means  which 
will  accomplish  the  same  purpose.  As  re- 
gards steam  heating,  however,  ventilating  by 
means  of  steam  heat  is  unfortunately  much 
more  expensive  than  a  system  of  ventilation 
by  means  of  a  hot  air  furnace,  and  the  latter. 
therefore  is  practically  the  only  one  which 
can  be  considered  in  connection  with  houses 
of  moderate  cost. 

So  far  as  the  mere  heating  of  the  house  is 
148 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     149 

concerned  steam  is  often  more  economical  as 
regards  fuel  consumption  than  is  the  hot  air 
furnace,  and  the  system  of  heating  by  hot 
water  pipes  perhaps  even  more  so.  Neither 
of  these  two  latter  systems,  however,  when 
used  simply  and  directly,  affords  the  least 
means  of  ventilating  the  house  during  cold 
weather,  and  therefore  from  a  hygienic  point 
of  view  ought  not  to  be  installed  if  a  good 
furnace  with  its  appurtenances  can  be  had. 

THE  HOT  AIR  FURNACE 

We  may  therefore  consider  first  and  chiefly 
the  hot  air  furnace.  There  are  many  types  of 
such  apparatus  on  the  market,  each  of  which 
is  "  the  best,"  but  many  of  which  are  very 
cheaply  put  together  and  highly  inefficient, 
their  use  resulting  in  a  large  coal  consumption 
with  correspondingly  heavy  bills  for  the  same. 
Any  attempt  to  install  a  heating  apparatus  of 
the  cheaper  description  is,  on  every  count,  a 
foolish  waste  of  money  and  the  difference, 
taking  everything  into  consideration,  would 
probably  not  exceed  $100.00  as  between  the 
cheapest  and  the  most  efficient  type  of  furnace. 
As  this  is  one  of  the  vital  points  in  a  house 
it  is  much  better  to  go  without  something 
not  quite  so  essential  and  have  the  heating 


160  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

apparatus  well  made  and  properly  installed. 

It  must  be  considered,  however,  that  from 
a  strictly  scientific  point  of  view,  the  furnace 
is  not  an  efficient  apparatus  when  we  take  into 
consideration  the  relation  between  fuel  con- 
sumption and  the  amount  of  heat  supplied  to 
every  room  in  the  house.  Although  this  fault 
is  minimized  in  the  better  types  of  furnaces, 
it  still  remains  to  some  extent,  and  is  inherent 
in  the  method.  Air  takes  up  heat  very  slowly, 
and  it  is  difficult  to  devise  any  type  of  hot  air 
apparatus  in  which  all  of  the  heat  can  be  util- 
ized in  warming  the  air  of  the  house.  There 
is  always  therefore  necessarily  a  large  waste 
of  heat  up  the  chimney,  although  it  is  not  at 
all  certain  that  the  furnace  makers  have  yet 
reached  the  limits  of  economy  in  the  design  of 
their  apparatus. 

Nevertheless  the  fact  that  the  house  is 
warmed  by  means  of  fresh  heated  air  far  out- 
weighs the  deficiency  of  the  furnace  just  re- 
ferred to  and  whatever  may  be  its  increase  of 
fuel  consumption  over  that  of  a  steam  heating 
apparatus,  for  example,  this  excess  of  cost 
ought  to  be  regarded  not  only  as  being  ex- 
pended for  heat  but  as  going  a  long  way  to- 
ward insuring  better  health  for  the  entire 
household. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING      151 

A  hot  air  furnace  consists  in  principle  of  a 
grate,  a  large  combustion  chamber  over  the 
grate,  and  a  smoke  pipe  to  the  chimney  to 
carry  off  the  products  of  combustion.  Around 
this  arrangement  is  a  galvanized  iron  casing, 
the  joints  made  as  air  tight  as  possible,  con- 
necting at  the  bottom  with  a  large  flue  or  duct 
leading  to  the  outside  air  and  at  the  top  having 
several  openings  through  which  fresh  heated 
air  may  be  carried  from  the  furnace  into 
the  several  rooms  of  the  house.  The  object 
of  making  the  joints  of  the  outer  casing  air 
tight  is  to  insure  against  the  possibility  of  the 
drawing  of  cellar  air  into  the  heating  chamber. 

In  its  most  efficient  form  the  furnace  will 
have  a  large  grate  holding  a  body  of  coal,  suf- 
ficient to  maintain  the  fire  at  the  required 
temperature  for  several  hours  without  atten- 
tion, and  as  large  a  combustion  chamber  as 
possible  in  order  that  the  incoming  fresh  air 
may  remain  for  as  long  a  period  as  possible 
in  contact  with  its  heated  cast  iron  surface. 
Sometimes  this  surface  is  artificially  expanded 
by  what  are  technically  known  as  baffle  plates, 
which  are  cast  iron  fins  bolted  on  to  the  com- 
bustion chamber,  increasing  its  radiating  sur- 
face and  checking  the  too  rapid  onrush  of  the 
heated  air  to  the  distributing  pipes. 


15«  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

DEFECTS  OF  THE  FURNACE 

The  defects  to  be  looked  for  in  furnaces 
are,  first,  cheap  construction  in  which  the 
joints  about  the  fire  pot  and  the  combustion 
chamber  are  very  imperfect,  allowing  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  the  escape  of  the  com- 
bustion gases  into  the  heating  chamber;  the 
using  of  too  weak  materials  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  fire  pot  and  heating  chamber,  which 
will  result  in  the  apparatus  having  a  much 
shorter  life  than  it  should  and  necessitating 
frequent  repairs  to  keep  it  in  anything  like 
workable  condition. 

The  second  fault  to  be  guarded  against  is 
that  of  installing  too  small  an  apparatus.  If 
the  landlord  is  to  select  the  furnace  he  will  al- 
ways be  governed  by  considerations  of  first 
cost,  and  will  put  in  the  smallest  possible  fur- 
nace which,  forced  continuously  to  its  maxi- 
mum capacity,  will  keep  the  house  at  some 
reasonable  temperature  during  the  average 
weather.  On  extremely  cold  days  such  an 
apparatus  will  fail  altogether,  and  no  amount 
of  forcing  will  serve  to  keep  the  house  habit- 
able. It  is  very  much  more  economical  to 
heat  the  house  by  a  large  volume  of  moder- 
ately warm  air  than  by  a  small  volume  of 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING      153 

highly  heated  air.  A  large  furnace  will  some- 
times burn  actually  less  coal  than  another  one 
of  two  sizes  smaller  and  will  do  its  required 
work  much  more  efficiently.  A  slow  steady 
fire  in  a  furnace  of  the  proper  capacity  will 
always  give  the  best  and  most  economical  re- 
sults. 

A  furnace  adequate  in  other  respects  may 
fail  with  improper  location  in  the  cellar.  In 
such  a  case  and  under  certain  conditions  of 
weather  certain  rooms  in  the  house  cannot  be 
made  to  receive  any  heat  at  all.  As  the  air 
pressure  exerted  through  the  heating  of  the 
air  in  the  furnace  is  at  best  very  slight  it  is 
evident  that  it  cannot  be  expected  to  do  very 
much  work  in  the  direction  of  that  side  of  the 
house  against  which  a  gale  of  wind  is  blowing. 
When  we  consider  that  our  coldest  days  in 
winter  are  those  in  which  the  wind  is  westerly 
and  of  very  considerable  force  it  is  evident 
that  the  proper  location  of  the  furnace  is  to- 
ward the  northwest  corner. 

Of  course  on  every  other  consideration  a 
central  position  is  better,  by  making  about 
equal  the  lengths  of  the  pipes  under  the  cellar 
ceiling  before  they  start  upwards  in  the  par- 
titions to  the  various  rooms.  As  these  pipes 
must  emerge  from  the  hot  air  casing  cham- 


164  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ber  at  its  top,  and  as  the  cellar  ceiling  is  rela- 
tively low,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  length  of 
these  pipes  as  they  show  in  the  cellar  will 
approach  closely  to  a  horizontal  position. 
They  must  have  some  rise,  of  course,  or  the 
work  of  the  furnace  will  be  greatly  increased. 
As  the  space  above  the  top  of  the  combus- 
tion chamber  is  the  same  all  over  the  cellar 
it  is  perfectly  evident  that  the  longest  pipes 
will  have  the  flattest  slope.  For  this  reason 
and  having  regard  to  this  consideration  alone, 
a  central  position  for  the  furnace  with  refer- 
ence to  all  of  the  rising  pipes  in  the  house 
would  be  the  best;  but  this  conclusion  is  mod- 
ified by  the  fact  just  referred  to,  namely,  that 
the  strongest  winds  against  whose  force  the 
heated  air  must  to  some  extent  exert  itself 
will  come  from  the  northwest. 

Only  judgment  based  on  experience  with 
heating  apparatus  can  determine  the  abso- 
lutely best  position  for  the  furnace  in  any 
particular  case,  but  rather  nearer  the  north- 
west corner  than  in  the  center  should  be  the 
rule. 

If  the  house  be  large  and  rambling,  and  es- 
pecially if  it  have  one  large  wing,  it  is  better 
to  install  two  smaller  furnaces  rather  than  one 
very  large  one.     Under  usual  conditions  there 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     165 

may  be  some  increase  in  fuel  consumption 
through  this  arrangement,  but  the  fact  that 
the  house  can  always  be  kept  warm  and  com- 
fortable in  all  weathers  should  be  regarded  as 
adequate  compensation  for  the  increased  out- 
lay. 

In  the  effort  to  gain  increased  distance  be- 
tween the  top  of  the  furnace  and  the  cellar 
ceiling  the  furnace  is  sometimes  placed  in  a 
sort  of  pit  excavated  below  the  cellar  floor. 
This  is  very  objectionable,  for  two  reasons. 
In  the  first  place  it  makes  it  difficult  to  operate 
the  furnace  and  keep  the  fire  in  good  condi- 
tion; and  in  the  second  place,  these  pits  are 
very  apt  to  be  filled  with  water  in  case  of  pro- 
longed rains  when  the  ground  becomes  sat- 
urated, causing  the  sub-surface  water  level  to 
rise  materially. 

When  an  attempt  is  made  to  build  a  house 
with  cheapness  as  the  first  consideration  all 
sorts  of  defects  arise  both  in  material  con- 
struction and  operation,  and  low-ceilinged 
cellars  always  result  from  an  attempt  to  save 
on  the  expense  of  the  foundation  walls.  This 
saving  on  first  cost  is  very  delusive,  because 
the  increased  expense  of  operation  and  repairs 
will  far  more  than  eat  up  interest  on  the 
money  saved.     It  is  good  economy  to  wrap  the 


166  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

heating  pipes  which  lead  from  the  heating 
chamber  to  the  vertical  pipes  in  the  partitions 
with  asbestos,  following  this  by  some  good 
non-conducting  material  such  as  thin  hair  felt 
or  some  cheaper  substitute.  This  prevents 
too  active  a  radiation  of  heat  from  the  pipes 
into  the  cellar  with  consequent  cooling  of  the 
air  in  the  pipes  before  it  has  a  chance  to  reach 
the  rooms. 

Each  heating  pipe  in  the  cellar  should  have 
a  valve  or  damper  so  that  the  tendency  of  any 
one  pipe  to  draw  an  undue  share  of  hot  air 
from  the  furnace  may  be  checked,  and  by  the 
intelligent  use  of  these  dampers,  and  a  little 
additional  time  on  the  part  of  whoever  is 
responsible  for  the  operation  of  the  furnace,  it 
is  possible  to  adjust  them,  to  satisfactorily  meet 
all  conditions  of  outside  wind  and  temperature. 
In  adjusting  such  dampers  it  will  be  a  help  to 
remember  that  the  longer  the  vertical  rise  of 
any  pipe  coming  from  the  furnace  the  stronger 
will  be  its  suction  in  the  combustion  chamber 
and  therefore  the  more  its  particular  damper 
may  be  closed  to  equalize  this  suction. 

PLACING  FLUES  AND  REGISTERS 

Pipes  rising  to  the  third  story  will  draw 
much  more  strongly  than  those  rising  to  the 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     167 

second,  and  those  rising  to  the  second  will  be 
more  active  than  those  which  stop  on  the  first 
floor.  It  can  readily  be  seen  therefore  that 
the  ideal  layout  of  such  pipes  would  be  to  have 
the  longest  runs  going  to  the  highest  floor 
and  the  shortest  to  the  lowest  floor.  This 
would  give  a  sharper  pitch  to  the  latter  which 
would  tend  to  overcome  their  otherwise  weak 
draft. 

Heater  pipes  as  they  rise  through  wooden 
partitions  should  be  wrapped  in  asbestos  and 
where  they  pass  through  floors  should  have  a 
double  collar  with  an  air  space  between  the 
two.  This  will  obviate  all  heating  of  the  walls 
and  abolish  any  possible  risk  of  fire  from  this 
source. 

As  regards  the  position  of  the  register  faces 
in  a  room  one  rule  should  always  be  observed. 
Never  place  them  in  the  floor.  When  so 
placed  they  become  a  receptacle  for  all  sorts 
of  trash  and  dirt  which  will  char,  and  may  on 
occasion  even  take  fire.  It  is  useless  to  go  to 
the  expense  of  providing  fresh  air  and  then 
vitiate  it  at  the  point  where  it  enters  the  room. 
If  doors  and  windows  could  be  kept  closed 
and  an  adequate  volume  of  warm  air  supplied 
to  each  room  by  a  properly  designed  appa- 
ratus it  would  be  better  to  deliver  the  warm 


158  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

air  near  the  ceiling  and  extract  the  vitiated 
air  of  the  room  in  the  wall  near  the  floor  on 
the  same  side,  thus  ensuring  thorough  circula- 
tion in  the  room. 

All  such  vent  flues,  i£  installed,  in  order  to 
operate  efficiently  ought  to  be  united  into  one 
flue  in  the  attic  and  so  carried  out  through  the 
roof,  being  there  protected  by  an  adequate 
hood  or  ventilator  which  will  insure  against 
down  draft  and  the  entrance  of  rain  or  snow. 
Since,  however,  the  installation  of  these  vent 
flues  is  an  added  expense,  and  probably  there- 
fore would  be  omitted  in  any  case  in  houses 
of  the  type  under  consideration,  the  hot  air 
registers  should  discharge  a  foot  or  two  above 
the  floor  in  the  side  wall.  They  should  come 
up  wherever  possible  perfectly  straight  from 
the  cellar  below.  The  design  of  these  register 
faces  as  to  finish  and  color  may  be  made  to 
harmonize  more  or  less  with  the  color  scheme 
of  the  room.  Some  attention  should  always  be 
paid  to  this  point.  Registers,  and  the  pipes 
supplying  them  with  hot  air  should  never  be 
placed  in  outside  walls,  as  they  will  become 
chilled  and  inefficient.  The  body  of  cold  air 
in  a  chilled  flue  may  easily  stop  the  flow  of  hot 
air  from  the  best  furnace  ever  made. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     159 

HOW  TO  TEST  THE  HEAT  SUPPLY 

Although  it  is  entirely  impractical  to  give 
any  rules  or  formulas  by  which  a  layman  can 
design  or  install  any  heating  system  in  his 
house  there  is  one  rule  which  may  be  given 
for  testing  the  capacity  of  the  heating  appa- 
ratus. Find  the  cubic  contents  of  the  room 
and  multiply  the  length  and  breadth  and 
height  together  and  for  any  first  floor  rooms 
divide  the  cubic  contents  by  30,  for  any  second 
floor  room  by  35  and  for  any  third  floor  room 
by  40.  The  quotient  will  give  some  reason- 
able approximation  to  the  proper  area  of  the 
pipe  carrying  its  supply  of  hot  air  from  the 
furnace  to  each  room.  This  rule  conforms  to 
average  requirements,  but  for  a  room  having 
a  northwest  exposure,  an  unusual  amount  of 
window  surface,  or  any  other  element  which 
would  tend  to  make  it  unusually  cold  in  win- 
ter, these  amounts  should  be  increased  by 
about  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent,  according  to  con- 
ditions. 

There  is  a  type  of  furnace  known  as  the 
combination  furnace  which  has  an  auxiliary 
attachment  which  supplies  steam  or  hot  water 
to  pipes  which  may  be  carried  to  the  more  re- 
mote points  of  the  house,  where  it  would  be 


160  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

impractical  to  lead  the  air  during  stormy 
weather.  If  these  combination  furnaces  are 
properly  designed,  the  steam  or  hot  water  is 
generated  by  the  gases  of  combustion  after 
they  leave  the  air  heating  surfaces  of  the 
furnace.  In  this  way  a  portion  of  the  heat 
that  would  otherwise  escape  up  the  chimney 
without  having  performed  any  efficient  work 
is  utilized  and  considerable  economy  may  be 
attained  by  their  use. 

MOISTURE  IN  HEATING 

The  manufacturers  of  some  forms  of  fur- 
naces have  a  good  deal  to  say  about  the  water 
reservoir  which  they  furnish  for  the  purpose 
of  evaporating  water  into  the  hot  air  before  it 
is  supplied  to  the  rooms.  This  is  merely  what 
the  trade  would  call  a  "  talking  point,"  and  is 
of  little  practical  importance.  Introduction  of 
this  water  reservoir  in  furnaces  has  been  due  to 
an  imperfect  understanding  of  the  exact  con- 
ditions under  which  they  operate.  The  supply 
of  intensely  hot  and  very  dry  air  continued 
for  a  long  period  of  time  is  undoubtedly  not 
conducive  to  the  sound  health  of  those  who 
must  breathe  it.  Neither  on  the  other  hand  is 
an  air  supply  heavily  charged  with  moisture. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     161 

A  moderate  amount  of  moisture  which  would 
give  a  relative  humidity  reading  of  about  forty 
would  perhaps  be  an  ideal  condition  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  water  reservoirs  in  furnaces 
are  so  small  that  the  amount  of  moisture  they 
impart  to  the  air  could  hardly  be  detected  by 
an  hydrometer.  They  are  not  worth  the  trou- 
ble it  takes  to  maintain  them. 

Moderately  heated  dry  air  is  not  at  all  detri- 
mental and  that  is  the  normal  condition  under 
which  houses  are  heated  in  winter.  If  the  hot 
air  furnace  be  of  suitable  capacity  for  its  use 
in  any  particular  case,  the  only  real  advantage 
of  not  having  the  furnace  air  too  dry  lies  in 
the  fact  that  moist  air  always  seems  hotter  to 
the  body  than  dry  air  of  equal  temperature. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  regard  the  weather 
forecaster's  report  on  general  humidity  with 
such  close  attention  during  the  summer 
weather.  If,  therefore,  moisture  could  be  im- 
parted to  the  air  through  some  properly  de- 
signed attachment  to  the  furnace  by  which 
might  be  maintained  a  relative  humidity  at 
about  the  figure  suggested  above  our  houses 
would  seem  warmer  (which  after  all  is  the 
final  consideration)  with  a  smaller  expendi- 
ture of  fuel  than  is  the  case  when  the  air  is 
perfectly  dry. 


162  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

THE  COLD  AIR  INLET 

It  is  important  that  the  cold  air  inlet  to  the 
furnace  should  be  strictly  air  tight  and  it  is 
best  if  built  of  metal  and  carried  along  the 
cellar  ceiling  and  dropped  at  the  back  of  the 
furnace  to  the  floor.  The  old  fashioned  type 
of  underground  brick  duct  should  never  be 
built,  and  if  one  already  exists  it  should  either 
be  done  away  with  or  plastered  over  with  ce- 
ment mortar  on  the  inside,  and  the  cover 
stones  be  put  on  with  cement  joints.  It  is  ob- 
vious that  a  cold  air  inlet  to  the  furnace  which 
leaks  will  draw  air  from  the  cellar  in  prefer- 
ence to  taking  it  from  outside  as  there  will  be 
less  resistance  in  the  former  case  than  the  lat- 
ter. Wooden  ducts  should  be  lined  on  the 
inside  with  sheets  of  asbestos,  each  sheet  being 
well  lapped  over  the  preceding  one  to  make  an 
air  tight  lining. 


SLOPE  OF  FLUES 

Eighteen  inches  is  the  minimum  allowable 
distance  between  the  top  of  the  hot  air  chamber 
and  the  cellar  ceiling  if  any  of  the  runs  of  pipes 
are  more  than  twelve  feet  long.  A  rise  of 
about   one   inch   to  the    foot    for   the   cellar 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     163 

pipes  is  the  least  amount  which  should  be  per- 
mitted. In  inspecting  furnaces  already  in- 
stalled see  that  the  pipes  rise  steadily  from  the 
furnace  to  their  extreme  end.  This  is  es- 
pecially important  in  the  longer  runs  of  pipes 
which  have  the  flattest  inclination.  These 
will  be  often  rendered  quite  useless  by  a  dip 
in  the  pipe,  as  this  will  be  sufficient  to  check 
the  movement  of  the  hot  air  on  its  way  to  the 
vertical  pipe  in  the  partition. 

INSPECTING  A  FURNACE 

In  making  an  inspection  of  a  furnace  al- 
ready installed  in  a  house  under  consideration 
two  things  should  be  specially  observed.  Open 
the  fuel  door  and  see  whether  the  opening  into 
the  smoke  flue  is  directly  above  the  surface  of 
the  burning  coal.  This  is  what  is  known  as  a 
direct  draft  furnace  and  is  an  old  fashioned 
type  not  installed  at  the  present  day  except  in 
the  cheapest  class  of  houses.  Its  disadvan- 
tages are  due  to  the  increased  coal  consump- 
tion arising  from  the  immediate  escape  of  the 
products  of  combustion  on  leaving  the  fire,  the 
sides  of  the  heating  chamber  being  warmed 
chiefly  by  direct  radiation  from  the  fire. 

All  the  newer  types  of  furnaces  have  an  in- 


164  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

direct  draft,  which  means  that  the  gases  of 
combustion  are  carried  through  the  entire 
length  of  the  combustion  chamber  and  back 
through  a  down  draft  flue  and  then  out  into 
the  smoke  stack.  This  minimizes  the  loss 
from  the  heat  units  which  escape  up  the  chim- 
ney without  doing  any  work  as  in  the  direct 
draft  type.  Indirect  draft  furnaces  have  one 
disadvantage  in  that  they  require  a  much 
stronger  pull  in  the  chimney  flue. 

Every  smoke  flue,  of  course,  should  have  a 
check  draft  opening  into  the  cellar  in  order  to 
prevent  the  fire  from  overheating,  as  it  is  ex- 
tremely uneconomical  and  wasteful  of  fuel  to 
check  the  fire  by  opening  the  furnace  door. 
After  this  point  is  determined  inspect  the  grate 
and  see  whether  it  is  one  of  the  modern  type  of 
rocker  or  slicing  grates  or  whether  it  is  the  old 
fashioned  kind  which  shakes  up  the  fire  after 
a  fashion  by  revolving  around  a  central  pin. 
This  type  wastes  fuel  and  produces  a  very  poor 
combustion  in  the  fire,  as  the  shaking  action  is 
almost  entirely  confined  to  the  circumference 
of  the  grate  and  leaves  a  pyramid  of  ashes  in 
the  center  which  must  be  laboriously  raked  out 
with  a  poker.  Make  sure  that  the  grate  has 
not  been  "  burned  out "  (melted  by  the  hot 
ashes  allowed  to  accumulate  under  it). 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     165 

STEAM    HEATING 

Heating  a  house  by  steam  has  this  advan- 
tage over  the  hot  air  furnace  that  any  part  of 
the  house  can  be  warmed  in  any  weather. 
The  steam  being  under  pressure  (though  this 
should  not  exceed  five  pounds  to  the  inch) 
can  be  forced  to  the  coldest  room  in  the  house 
and  while  there  must  give  up  its  heat  in 
the  radiator,  and  if  the  latter  be  large 
enough  the  room  can  be  adequately  warmed. 
Steam  heating  has  also  another  advantage 
over  the  hot  air  furnace  in  that  for  the 
same  amount  of  heat  it  will  burn  less  coal 
the  difference  being  on  an  average  about  25% 
in  favor  of  the  steam  apparatus. 

It  has  two  serious  disadvantages,  however, 
the  first  being  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  get 
any  variation  of  temperature.  If  the  radia- 
tors are  filled  with  steam  they  will  always 
radiate  the  same  amount  of  heat  and  it  is  not 
possible  to  partially  fill  them.  This  objection 
can  of  course  be  overcome  by  having  two  or 
more  radiators  in  the  same  room,  using  one 
in  milder  weather  and  all  of  them  in  the  coldest 
weather.  This  increases  very  materially  the 
cost  of  installation,  but  in  the  case  of  large 
rooms,  where  it  would  be  impractical  to  com- 


166  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

bine  all  the  heating  surfaces  in  one  radiator, 
this  objection  does  not  apply. 

DIRECT  AND  INDIRECT  RADIATION 

The  most  serious  disadvantage  from  a  hygi- 
enic point  of  view  is  that  no  fresh  air  will  be 
supplied  to  the  house  unless  we  use  what  is 
known  as  "  indirect  radiation."  This  means 
that  one  or  more  radiators  in  the  cellar  are  en- 
closed in  an  air  tight  box  and  supplied  by  a 
fresh  air  duct  from  out  of  doors;  making  in 
effect  a  small  hot  air  furnace,  in  which  how- 
ever the  heating  chamber  is  warmed  by  steam 
instead  of  the  gases  of  combustion.  As  it 
takes  about  twice  as  much  radiating  surface 
for  an  indirect  radiator  as  for  a  direct,  and 
moreover  as  there  is  the  cold  air  flue  and  the 
air  tight  box  to  be  built,  an  attempt  to  heat  all 
the  rooms  in  the  house  by  this  indirect  system 
will  result  in  a  cost  which  is  practically  pro- 
hibitive for  houses  of  the  character  now  under 
discussion. 

The  system  may  however  be  partially  in- 
stalled in  connection  with  a  direct  system  by 
having,  say,  one  indirect  radiator  for  the  lower 
hall  which  will  insure  this  and  such  of  the 
upper  halls  as  open  into  it,  a  supply  of  warm 
fresh  air  at  all  times.     The  individual  rooms 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     167 

in  the  house  however  must  depend  for  their 
supply  of  fresh  air  either  on  leaving  the  doors 
into  the  halls  open  (which  is  often  out  of  the 
question)  or  by  opening  the  windows. 

The  force  of  imagination  is  sometimes 
curiously  displayed  in  connection  with  direct 
steam  heating.  It  is  frequently  said  by  those 
who  understand  that  the  radiators  are  heated 
by  steam  that  they  prefer  steam  heat  be- 
cause it  makes  the  air  of  the  house  so  moist. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  no  steam  escapes  into  the 
air  of  the  house  except  through  leaks  in  the 
pipes,  and  of  all  forms  of  heating  none  is  dryer 
than  that  given  off  by  a  steam  radiator.  Pans 
containing  water  are  sometimes  put  on  top  of 
steam  radiators  to  moisten  the  air  of  rooms, 
but  they  are  very  inefficient  and  highly  un- 
sanitary. 

No  rule  can  be  given  by  which  a  layman 
can  form  any  adequate  judgment  of  the  proper 
size  of  either  the  steam  heating  apparatus  in 
the  cellar  or  the  size  of  the  radiators  in  the 
rooms.  Most  of  the  heating  apparatus  in  the 
market  (except  a  few  of  the  cheaper  varie- 
ties) is,  as  a  rule,  properly  designed  and  en- 
tirely safe,  and  the  only  question  to  be  looked 
out  for  is  that  the  heating  surfaces  are  ade- 
quate. 


168  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

In  this  connection  a  remark  may  be  made 
which  applies  not  only  to  steam  heating  appa- 
ratus but  to  all  other  forms,  including  hot  air 
furnaces.  The  layman  should  never  buy  a 
furnace  or  any  other  heating  apparatus,  but  he 
should  buy  a  heating  system  from  a  reputable 
maker  who  will  guarantee  its  adequate  per- 
formance; the  usual  rule  being  the  mainte- 
nance of  70  degrees  inside  throughout  the 
house  during  zero  weather. 

THE  HOT  WATER  SYSTEM 

Hot  water  apparatus  for  heating  houses  has 
a  large  vogue  at  present  and  is  much  liked, 
principally  because  it  is  quite  possible  to  regu- 
late the  temperature  of  the  house  by  the  degree 
to  which  the  water  is  heated,  which  in  turn, 
depends  entirely  upon  the  activity  of  the  fire 
in  the  fire  pot. 

Indirect  heating  can  be  had  by  hot  water  as 
well  as  by  steam,  but  it  is  open  to  the  serious 
objection  that  it  is  almost  certain  to  freeze  in 
case  the  fire  should  get  very  low  during  zero 
weather.  And  then  the  fact  that  we  have  run- 
ning all  through  the  house  a  system  of  pipes 
filled  with  water  adds  greatly  to  the  danger 
of  damage  from  leakage,  which  is  especially 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING      169 

vexatious  and  costly  in  places  where  repairs  are 
difficult  to  make  without  breaking  out  the  walls 
or  tearing  up  the  floors. 

As  regards  fuel  consumption,  hot  water 
heating  has  some  slight  advantage  over  steam, 
and  of  course  a  much  greater  advantage  over 
the  hot  air  furnace.  Both  steam  and  hot  water 
heaters  of  the  best  type  are  built  up  in  sections, 
which  gives  this  advantage,  that  in  case  a 
heater  installed  proves  inadequate  its  capacity 
can  be  cheaply  enlarged  by  adding  one  or  more 
sections  to  the  heater.  These  sections  are 
made  of  cast  iron,  and  are  bolted  on  to  the  al- 
ready existing  work.  Such  enlargement  does 
not  in  any  way  effect  the  installation  of  the 
pipes  throughout  the  house. 

There  are  two  types  of  boilers  for  steam 
and  hot  water.  In  the  steam  boilers,  we  have 
the  low  pressure  and  the  high  pressure  sys- 
tems ;  the  low  pressure  working  with  a  pressure 
of  two  or  three  pounds  of  steam  at  the  boiler 
while  the  high  pressure  usually  requires  fif- 
teen or  twenty.  The  advantage  of  the  high 
pressure  steam  is  that  we  get  somewhat  greater 
heating  capacity  in  the  radiators  and  more 
positive  circulation  through  the  pipes.  It  is 
dangerous,  however,  in  spite  of  all  precautions, 
and  should  never  be  installed  in  a  private  dwell- 


170  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ing  house  unless  there  be  a  trained  fireman  in 
charge  at  all  times.  In  hot  water  apparatus 
we  have  the  choice  of  the  open  system  and  the 
closed  system.  The  closed  system  corre- 
sponds to  the  high  pressure  steam  system 
and  should  never  be  placed  in  private  dwellings. 

All  hot  water  systems  require  what  is  known 
as  an  expansion  tank  in  the  attic  which  is 
closed  in  the  case  of  the  closed  system  and 
open  in  the  case  of  the  open  system.  The 
whole  safety  of  the  installation  depends  upon 
this  open  pipe  never  being  closed  by  any  ac- 
cidental or  other  means.  There  is  not  much 
danger  of  such  closing  in  any  properly  installed 
system,  but  it  is  a  point  which  should  be  taken 
into  consideration. 

Steam  and  hot  water  systems  also  are 
classified  as  one  pipe  or  gravity,  and  two  pipe, 
or  return  systems.  In  the  one  pipe  system 
the  steam  pipe  which  conveys  the  steam  to  the 
radiator  brings  back  the  condensed  water  to 
the  boiler.  For  houses  of  moderate  size 
where  this  system  is  properly  installed  and  all 
of  the  steam  pipes  have  a  steady  rise  from  the 
boiler  to  the  radiator  without  any  dips  or 
bends  in  the  supply  pipe  it  will  work  satis- 
factorily. The  one  pipe  hot  water  system  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  one  pipe  steam  system  in 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     171 

principle.  Perfect  operation,  however,  is  in- 
sured by  the  two  pipe  system,  in  which  one  of 
the  pipes  carries  the  steam  or  hot  water  to 
the  radiator  and  the  second  pipe  is  used  for 
the  return. 


DISADVANTAGE  OF  THE  WATER-HAMMER 

One  point  with  regard  to  the  operation  of 
steam  radiators  should  not  be  forgotten.  No 
attempt  should  be  made  to  regulate  the  amount 
of  heat  in  the  radiator  by  partially  opening 
or  partially  shutting  the  supply  and  return 
valves.  They  must  be  either  wide  open  or 
tight  shut,  otherwise  the  radiator  will  fill  with 
condensed  water  and  an  annoying  "  water- 
hammer  "  will  result.  Another  disadvantage 
of  this  direct  system  of  heating  results  from  the 
extremely  ugly  form  of  the  radiators,  which 
it  appears  impossible  to  mitigate. 

Something  can  be  done  of  course  to  render 
them  inconspicuous  by  having  them  painted 
with  heat  proof  paint  or  varnish,  of  a  color 
to  correspond  with  the  wall  against  which 
they  stand;  but  no  attempt  should  ever  be 
made  to  include  them  in  the  system  of  deco- 
ration by  giving  them  a  different  color,  or  by 
striping  them  with  gold  or  the  other  abomi- 


172  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

nable  practices  which  commonly  result  when 
these  matters  are  left  to  the  heating  engineer. 
In  other  words  the  rule  should  be  to  make 
them  as  inconspicuous  as  possible. 

There  is  some  danger  from  steam  pipes 
causing  a  fire,  by  charring  any  wood  with 
which  they  may  come  in  contact.  Paper  left 
lying  carelessly  against  them  for  a  period  of 
time  will  also  char,  and  wherever  charring  oc- 
curs there  is  always  danger  of  spontaneous 
combustion;  as  the  charred  substance,  when 
it  reaches  a  certain  point  in  its  development, 
may  become  spongy  in  character  and  will  then 
take  up  oxygen  from  the  atmosphere  and  may 
possibly  burst  into  flame.  Although  the  pos- 
sibility of  this  danger  has  been  denied  on 
theoretical  grounds,  unmistakable  cases  of  it 
have  fallen  under  my  own  observation. 

ARTIFICIAL   VENTILATION 

The  only  system  of  artificial  ventilation 
which  is  positive  in  its  action  is  what  is  known 
as  the  fan  system.  This  operates  by  means  of 
a  circular  fan  or  air  propeller  situated  usually 
in  the  basement  and  driven  by  power — electri- 
cal, steam,  or  gasoline.  The  expense  of  in- 
stalling such  an   apparatus,  however,   is   en- 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING     173 

tirely  too  great  to  render  it  available  for 
houses  of  the  character  under  discussion. 

The  principle  to  be  observed  in  the  operation 
of  such  a  system  is  practically  this:  that  the 
fresh  heated  air  must  be  forced  into  the  room 
under  pressure  and  not  allowed  to  find  its 
way  in  by  a  reverse  system  of  operation 
(known  as  the  vacuum  system)  which  was 
formerly  in  vogue  to  some  extent,  but  is  now 
entirely  repudiated.  The  vacuum  system  is 
operated  by  an  exhaust  fan  placed  at  the 
terminus  of  all  the  converging  foul  air  ducts 
from  the  building;  the  theory  being  that  if  a 
vacuum  were  created  in  these  it  would  not  only 
extract  all  the  foul  air  from  the  building  but 
draw  after  it  the  freshly  warmed  air  from 
the  heating  apparatus.  This  system  works  all 
right  so  far  as  extracting  the  foul  air  is 
concerned,  but  the  air  that  flows  in  to  take 
its  place  does  not  always  come  from  the  heat- 
ing system,  but  leaks  in  from  various  other 
directions,  including  accidental  openings  in 
the  sewer  pipes. 

For  domestic  purposes  and  on  a  small  scale, 
or  indeed  on  any  scale,  there  is  no  better  sys- 
tem of  ventilation  or  perhaps  none  so  good  as 
that  to  be  obtained  by  opening  the  windows 
of  the  various  rooms  and  allowing  the  fresh 


174  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

outside  air  to  come  directly  in,  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  according  to  the  outside  tem- 
perature, and  the  capacity  of  the  person  using 
the  room  for  working  and  living  in  a  tem- 
perate or  even  cool  atmosphere.  While  it 
is  not  wise  for  anyone  to  sit  in  a  room  that 
is  uncomfortably  cold,  it  is  the  height  of  wis- 
dom to  accustom  oneself  to  work  and  sleep  in 
a  room  filled  with  fresh  cool  air. 


CHAPTER  IX 

PLUMBING 

In  no  one  particular  has  the  American  house 
shown  such  rapid  improvement  in  method  of 
operation  as  has  been  experienced  during  the 
past  decade  or  two  with  regard  to  the  various 
pipes  and  fixtures  which  are  usually  included 
under  the  designation  "  plumbing,"  or  "  plumb- 
ing and  drainage."  By  this  or  some  similar 
term  we  mean  the  apparatus  designed  to  con- 
vey pure  water  into  the  house  and  the  re- 
moval of  the  various  solid  and  liquid  wastes 
into  some  outside  receptacle,  either  a  sewer 
or  cesspool. 

WATER  SUPPLY 

So  far  as  the  water  supply  itself  is  con- 
cerned, in  houses  of  the  character  now  under 
discussion,  the  supply  pipes  throughout  the 
house,  except  perhaps  those  immediately  in 
evidence  in  the  bathroom,  will  be  galvanized 
wrought  iron  or  steel  pipes,  the  former  being 
preferable  owing  to  their  great  longevity. 
176 


176  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

As  the  size  of  the  main  supply  pipe  will  be 
governed  in  most  cases  by  the  rules  of  the 
water  company  from  which  the  supply  is  ob- 
tained the  householder  will  have  no  choice  in 
the  matter,  but  where  possible  the  main  supply 
should  be  at  least  i  inch  or  1^4  inches  in 
diameter  under  ordinary  pressure,  although 
a  %  inch  pipe  is  all  that  is  usually  permitted 
by  the  water  company.  The  object  of  using 
the  larger  pipe  is  that  there  may  be  a  plentiful 
supply  to  every  fixture  in  the  house  with  low 
velocity. 

When  the  pipes  are  too  small  a  faucet  op- 
ened on  the  lower  floor  will  check  or  some- 
times entirely  stop  the  flowing  of  one  on  a 
higher  floor.  The  largest  pipe  ever  used  to 
supply  any  fixture  is  ^  inch  and  this  only 
as  a  rule  for  bathtubs,  Yz  inch  pipe  being  the 
more  usual  size.  The  main  supply  pipe  should 
have  a  shut-off  at  the  point  where  it  passes 
through  the  cellar  wall  on  the  inside  of  the 
house. 

The  supply  of  fresh  water  to  the  various 
fixtures  in  the  house  will  be  laid  off  from 
points  most  convenient  for  the  shortest  runs 
of  branch  supplies  to  each  fixture.  No  at- 
tempt will  be  made  here  to  explain  by  means 
of  diagrams  the  proper  distribution  of  pipes 


PLUMBING  177 

throughout  the  house  because  such  diagrams, 
when  standing  alone,  can  be  of  no  use  to  the 
layman  and  would  probably  only  result  in  his 
forming  an  incorrect  opinion.  With  regard, 
however,  to  the  practical  details  of  which  he 
has  daily  concern  so  far  as  the  use  of  the 
apparatus  is  concerned,  some  instruction  here 
will  be  permissible. 

FAUCETS 

As  to  the  water  supply  itself,  the  chief 
source  of  annoyance  is  usually  the  faucet. 
These  are  made  in  various  patterns,  the  most 
elementary  of  which  is  operated  by  turning  a 
lever  handle  which  in  one  position  places  a  hole 
in  the  stem  of  the  faucet  in  line  with  the  bore 
of  the  pipe  and  in  another  position,  at  right 
angles  to  the  former,  presents  a  solid  obstacle 
to  the  flow  of  the  water.  For  hose  connec- 
tions and  other  places  where  use  of  the  faucet 
is  relatively  infrequent  this  cheaper  type  will 
serve. 

It  has,  however,  two  rather  serious  objec- 
tions. One  is  that  it  soon  wears  out  under 
frequent  use  and  causes  leaks,  and  another  is 
that  it  is  possible  by  its  inconsiderate  use  in 
quick  closing  to  very  suddenly  check  the  flow 


178  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

of  water.  If  the  water  pressure  in  the  pipes 
is  high  the  shock  of  this  sudden  arresting  of 
the  flow  may  cause  the  pipes  to  spHt.  This 
kind  of  faucet  is  commonly  known  as  the 
ground  key  cock. 

The  better  type  of  faucet  is  known  as  the 
compression  cock.  In  this,  the  stem  screws 
up  and  down  by  means  of  a  wheel  or  cross 
handle  and  when  closed  is  sometimes,  in  the 
better  types  of  this  class,  held  in  that  position 
by  the  pressure  of  the  spring.  A  patented 
type,  known  as  the  Fuller  Faucet,  is  mechanic- 
ally correct  in  principle  and  simple  in  its  opera- 
tion, and  not  so  likely  to  get  out  of  order. 
It  has,  however,  the  disadvantage  of  closing 
rather  too  quickly  for  high  pressure  lines. 

Self-closing  faucets  which  have  to  be  held 
open  in  order  to  insure  a  flow  of  water  are 
sometimes  necessary  where  users  of  water  are 
likely  to  be  careless  of  waste  and  expense  to 
the  owner  of  the  house,  especially  where  the 
water  is  metered.  These,  however,  are 
troublesome  and  for  ordinary  domestic  use  are 
scarcely  to  be  tolerated. 

If  one  is  installing  a  new  system  of  plumb- 
ing, care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  a  cut- 
off cock  is  placed  on  the  line  of  supply  to  each 
^separate  fixture   both   for  the  hot   and   cold 


PLUMBING  179 

water,  in  order  that  repairs  to  that  fixture 
may  be  made  without  interfering  with  the 
supply  elsewhere  throughout  the  house  by  cut- 
ting off  the  main  supply  system  where  it  enters 
the  house.  If  the  pressure  of  the  water  supply 
system  be  high  it  would  be  advisable  to  have 
the  plumber  install  an  air  chamber  at  the  high- 
est point  of  the  supply  pipe  in  order  that  shock 
to  the  system  may  be  minimized  in  the  event 
of  the  instant  closing  of  a  cock.  As  has  al- 
ready been  suggested  this  would  exert  abnor- 
mal pressure  upon  the  pipes,  and  is  almost 
certain  sooner  or  later  to  cause  a  weak  weld 
to  open  or  a  defective  fitting  to  fracture. 

The  only  novelty  in  the  way  of  faucets  to 
fixtures  are  the  so-called  mixing  valves  that 
are  supplied  to  bathtubs,  shower  baths,  etc. 
The  object  of  these  mixing  valves  is  to  supply, 
directly  to  the  fixtures,  water  which  has  already 
been  mixed  from  the  general  hot  and  cold 
water  supplies.  For  bathtubs  this  particular 
type  of  valve  is  not  of  much  importance  but 
for  shower  baths  extreme  care  must  be  taken 
in  their  selection,  in  order  to  prevent  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  shower  of  scalding  hot  water. 
If  the  mixing  chamber  type  is  not  used,  that 
type  of  hot  and  cold  water  supply  valves  for 
the  shower  bath  should  be  selected  which  is 


180  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

so  devised  that  it  is  impossible  to  turn  on  the 
hot  water  without  first  turning  on  the  cold. 

There  is  one  other  detail  in  connection  with 
the  supply  system,  known  as  the  circulating 
pipe,  which  will  be  discussed  in  connection 
with  the  hot  water  boiler. 


PLUMBING  FIXTURES 

"Fixtures,"  in  a  plumbing  sense,  mean 
every  type  of  apparatus  for  the  reception  of 
pure  water  and  discharge  of  dirty  water  and 
other  household  wastes. 

In  houses  of  moderate  size  the  fixtures  will 
be  kitchen  and  pantry  sink,  the  washbasin, 
bathtub,  and  closet.  These  may  be  considered 
in  order.  Kitchen  sinks,  which  receive  the 
hardest  usage,  are  in  their  most  economical 
and  durable  form  made  of  cast  iron.  They 
may  be  supported  on  brackets  or  legs  without 
any  wooden  casing  enclosing  them  underneath 
and  should  be  trapped  with  some  form  of  large 
box  trap  with  a  cleaning  screw  making  the  re- 
moval of  grease  a  relatively  simple  matter.  A 
porcelain  lined  iron  sink  presents  a  much  neater 
appearance  but  under  the  rough  usage  of  the 
kitchen  will  have  the  enamel  chipped  off.  A 
wooden  draining  board  with  surface  grooved 


PLUMBING  181 

in  converging  lines  leading  to  the  sink  should 
of  course  be  provided.  The  pantry  sink  we 
have  already  spoken  of  in  another  connection 
and  it  does  not  require  any  further  description. 

BATHTUBS  AND  BASINS 

For  ordinary  and  economical  use  the  so- 
called  porcelain  enameled  iron  bathtub  is  the 
most  satisfactory.  The  principal  annoyance 
in  connection  with  most  bathtubs  is  that  the 
waste  pipe  is  too  small.  As  this  is  a  matter 
with  which  the  water  companies  naturally  do 
not  concern  themselves  great  care  should  be 
taken  to  see  that  it  is  abundantly  large.  It 
should  never  be  less  than  i^  inches  in  di- 
ameter and  2  inches  would  be  much  better. 

Porcelain  enameled  iron  lavatories  are  very 
satisfactory  and  may  be  had  in  all  types  and 
patterns  to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  require- 
ments. They  should  not  have  chain  and  plug 
waste  but  preferably  one  of  the  latter  types 
which  are  operated  by  a  knob  in  the  basin  slab. 

WATER  CLOSETS 

Most  types  of  closets  now  on  the  market  are 
satisfactory  so  far  as  efficiency  is  concerned, 


18«  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

but  what  is  known  as  the  syphon  jet  closet  has 
the  additional  advantage  of  being  nearly  noise- 
less in  operation.  A  good  deal  of  objection- 
able noise  in  connection  with  water  closets  is 
due  to  the  noisy  operation  of  the  overhead 
tank,  especially  in  the  older  patterns  of  such 
tanks.  Every  consideration  points  to  the 
advisability  of  spending  a  few  more  dollars 
in  the  first  cost  of  a  closet  in  getting  a  low 
down  tank  which  in  combination  with  a  sy- 
phon jet  closet  will  be  practically  noiseless. 
Where  the  water  pressure  is  feeble,  however, 
such  tanks  do  not  operate  satisfactorily. 
This  condition  is  likely  to  occur  in  houses  oc- 
cupying higher  portions  of  the  city,  or  in  the 
upper  stories  of  other  houses.  If  the  pressure 
in  the  surface  main  is  not  sufficient  in  any 
case,  the  overhead  tank  will  be  necessary. 
Where  such  tanks  are  used  care  should  be 
taken  to  see  that  they  are  as  noiseless  as  pos- 
sible in  operation.  Sometimes  flushing  tanks 
are  dispensed  with  and  flushing  valves  are 
placed  directly  from  the  supply  pipe  to  the 
closet.  These,  however,  also  require  for  their 
operation  considerable  water  pressure. 

The  correct  use  of  these  flushing  yalves, 
however,  demands  the  following  conditions: 
first,  that  the  supply  pipe  and  valve  itself  be 


PLUMBING  183 

of  sufficient  size  to  furnish  a  large  volume  of 
water  in  a  short  period  of  time,  and,  secondly, 
that  they  be  on  a  different  supply  system  from 
that  connected  with  the  other  fixtures  in  the 
building.  Otherwise,  it  might  happen  that  if, 
during  repairs,  water  were  shut  off  from  the 
building  and  a  faucet  on  a  lower  floor  were 
opened  water  might  be  syphoned  out  of  the 
closet  bowl  into  the  supply  pipes  of  the  house 
and  afterwards  discharged  through  the  fix- 
tures on  the  lower  floors. 

THE  SLOP  SINK 

There  is  one  other  fixture  which  ought  al- 
ways to  be  installed  if  possible,  even  in  houses 
of  moderate  size,  and  that  is  what  is  known 
as  the  housemaid's  slop  sink.  This  is  best 
placed  in  a  small  closet  or  apartment  of  it«r 
own,  where  the  rough  work  of  emptying  slops, 
scrubbing  water,  etc.,  can  be  carried  on  with- 
out unduly  disturbing  other  household  ar- 
rangements. The  cost  of  the  installation  of 
a  housemaid's  slop  sink  will  be  well  repaid  by 
the  wear  and  tear  which  is  saved  the  bathtub 
and  the  closet. 

Careless  housemaids  are  not  above  using  the 
bathtub  as  a  slop  sink,  and  one  does  not  al- 


184  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ways  have  confidence  in  their  thoroughly 
cleansing  the  tub  after  such  operation.  The 
housemaid's  slop  sink  is  in  effect  a  fixture 
some  twenty  or  twenty- four  inches  deep  with 
hot  and  cold  water  supply,  and  a  waste  pipe  of 
2/4  or  3  inches  in  diameter,  so  that  almost  any- 
thing in  reason  may  be  thrown  down  with  ex- 
pectation of  it  passing  out  through  the  drain 
pipes  into  the  sewer. 

THE  SOIL  PIPE 

All  of  these  fixtures  will  discharge  into  the 
main  house  drain,  which  is  commonly  known 
as  the  soil  pipe.  With  regard  to  this,  only 
two  precautions  need  be  observed.  One  is 
that  it  should  be  carried  full-size  out  through 
the  roof  and  there  left  open:  the  other,  that 
there  be  a  fresh  air  inlet  opening  into  it  at  the 
end  where  it  passes  through  the  house  wall  on 
its  way  to  the  sewer.  This  will  insure  free  cir- 
culation of  fresh  air  through  the  pipe  at  all 
times,  keeping  it  in  the  best  possible  sanitary 
condition.  The  soil  pipe  in  the  house  itself 
will  become  warm  from  the  house  tempera- 
ture, so  insuring  a  continuous  upward  draft 
discharging  at  the  roof.  It  is  important  that 
this  discharging  point  be  as  far  away  as  possi- 


PLUMBING  185 

ble  from  any  window.  Beyond  this  fresh  air 
inlet  there  should  be  an  intercepting  trap  cut- 
ting off  direct  air  connection  between  the 
house  drain  and  the  sewer  or  cesspool. 

Wherever  there  is  a  public  sewer  system  the 
householder  will  have  no  futher  concern  from 
the  point  of  discharge  into  the  main  sewerage 
system.  The  cast  iron  soil  pipe  should  be 
carried  out  through  the  wall  of  the  house  and 
it  is  advisable  that  it  be  continued  as  far  as 
the  sewer.  This  will  cause  some  slight  ad- 
ditional expense,  but  it  will  pay  for  itself  in 
the  end,  because  earthenware  drain  pipes  out- 
side the  house  wall  are  certain  in  the  course 
of  time  to  be  plugged  up  with  the  roots  of 
trees,  necessitating  the  taking  up  of  the  sewer, 
breaking  out  of  several  lengths,  and  replacing 
with  new  ones ;  the  cost  of  which  operation  at 
any  one  time  would  more  than  pay  for  the 
difference  between  the  original  cost  of  the  cast 
iron  and  the  earthenware  pipes. 

CESSPOOLS 

If  the  house  be  so  situated  that  no  sewer 
is  available,  recourse  must  be  had  to  a  cess- 
pool. If  the  soil  be  very  porous  and  sandy, 
a  leaching  cesspool  may  be  built  at  least  250 


186  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

or  300  feet  away  from  the  house,  its  walls 
being  laid  up  with  dry  rubble  and  covered 
over  with  some  sort  of  perforated  top. 

In  such  cesspools  the  liquid  contents  will 
leach  away  through  the  surrounding  earth  for 
a  period  of  several  years  and  indeed  in  some 
cases  seems  to  go  on  indefinitely.  Usually, 
however,  the  absorbent  action  of  the  soil  will 
gradually  cease  and  a  new  cesspool  will  have 
to  be  built  at  some  distance  from  the  first  and 
this  process  will  have  to  be  continued  indefi- 
nitely. 

A  much  better  way,  and  one  which  is  of 
necessity  enforced  in  heavy  non-absorbent 
soils  like  stiff  loams  and  clays,  is  the  building  of 
a  water  tight  cesspool,  which  can  be  periodically 
cleaned  out  by  the  use  of  an  odorless  excava- 
ting apparatus,  which  is  usually  within  easy 
reach.  This  prevents  all  possibility  of  con- 
taminating any  source  of  water  supply 
through  the  leakage  of  this  house  waste  into 
the  surrounding  soil. 

EARTH  CLOSETS 

Under  some  conditions,  the  most  important 
of  which  is  unremitting  and  intelligent  super- 
vision,   earth    closets    are    admissible.     These 


PLUMBING  187 

are,  essentially,  depositories  containing  dry, 
pulverized,  absorbent  loam,  a  fresh  supply  of 
which  is  added  whenever  the  closet  has  been 
used.  When  the  receptacle  is  full,  or  say, 
once  a  week,  the  contents  must  be  removed 
and  deposited  on  the  ground.  Usually  two 
receptacles  for  each  closet  are  in  use,  one 
ready  to  replace  the  other,  as  each  is  removed 
alternately  with  its  contents.  These  contents, 
if  the  pulverized  earth  be  dry,  and  freely  used, 
are  entirely  inoffensive,  and  serve  as  an  ef- 
fective manure  supply  for  the  larger  crops. 
From  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  the  earth 
closet  is  really  preferable  to  the  leaching  cess- 
pool, before  described,  since  the  dry  earth  is 
not  only  deodorant  but  also,  to  a  material  ex- 
tent, a  sterilizer.  The  intermittent  flush  tank 
is  a  device  that  users  of  isolated  houses  in  the 
country  would  do  well  to  consider,  but  its  de- 
tails are  too  technical  for  discussion  here.  On 
this  point  the  advice  of  a  sanitary  engineer 
should  be  taken. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN 

The  house  and  the  garden  are  not  two 
things  but  one.  That  is  to  say,  the  garden, 
in  developing  any  scheme  for  a  house,  should 
always  be  considered  as  an  integral  part  of 
such  a  scheme.  It  ought  to  be  quite  obvious 
that  even  though  we  have  planned  the  house 
for  a  particular  owner  and  a  particular  place, 
it  can  be  made  to  present  a  very  incongruous 
appearance  in  relation  to  its  site  if  its  imme- 
diate surroundings  be  not  harmonious.  It  is 
not  possible  therefore  to  plan  a  house  unless 
the  shape  of  the  lot  upon  which  it  is  to  be 
placed  and  the  particular  position  it  is  best 
for  it  to  occupy  in  the  lot  are,  at  the  same  time, 
carefully  studied.  This  latter  consideration  is 
determined,  as  has  already  been  suggested  in 
a  preceding  chapter,  by  the  immediate  sur- 
roundings of  the  house  as  we  find  them  on  ad- 
joining properties,  or  on  our  own. 

This  placing  of  the  house  in  a  particular 
position  on  the  lot  determines  next  the  posi- 
188 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  189 

tions  of  its  approaches;  the  paths,  roads, 
kitchen  yard,  and  outbuildings,  if  any.  This 
naturally  leads  next  to  a  consideration  of  the 
lawn,  the  flower  beds,  the  hedges;  their  rela- 
tion to  each  other  and  to  the  house,  and  their 
relative  sizes.  Even  when  we  are  dealing 
with  a  ready  made  house,  whether  rented  or 
purchased,  we  may  add  a  very  material  ele- 
ment of  interest  to  the  property  by  the  design 
of  the  garden,  and  too  much  time  and  thought 
can  scarcely  be  given  to  it ;  for  it  is  thought  and 
not  expense  which  is  the  more  important  ele- 
ment of  a  successful  garden. 

PRINCIPLES   FOR   THE  GARDEN 

The  almost  infinite  number  of  combinations 
which  may  be  made  with  such  elements  as  the 
outline  of  the  house,  the  several  positions  of 
the  approaches,  the  relative  extent  of  the  lawn, 
the  flower  beds,  and  the  kinds  of  flowers,  makes 
it  impossible  to  lay  down  any  general  rule  ap- 
plicable to  all  cases  alike.  There  are,  never- 
theless a  few  elementary  principles  which 
ought  to  be  observed  if  we  hope  to  obtain  the 
best  possible  effects,  and  especially  so  where 
strict  economy  must  be  considered. 

In  arranging  the  plan  of  a  house  for  a  par- 


190  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ticular  lot  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that 
the  proper  place  for  the  "  front "  door  is  in 
the  front  of  the  house  facing  the  street,  or 
that  the  proper  place  for  the  kitchen  is  neces- 
sarily at  the  back  of  the  house.  In  small 
house  plans,  where  we  are  endeavoring  to  pro- 
duce a  result  which  shall  make  for  the  best 
interests  of  all  concerned,  placing  the  front 
door  on  the  side  next  the  street  often  renders 
a  really  good  plan  impossible.  In  such  a  case 
the  principal  entrance  should  be  placed  in  an 
adjoining  side  of  the  house. 

Again  if  we  have  a  small  lot  with  a  narrow 
frontage  it  is  a  stupid  idea  to  place  the  en- 
trance path  directly  in  the  middle  of  the  lot, 
since  by  doing  so  we  break  up  our  lawn  into 
two  small  rectangles;  whereas  if  the  entrance 
path  be  to  one  side  we  have  the  advantage  of 
a  larger  rectangle  which,  though  it  be  only 
double  the  size  of  each  of  the  smaller  ones 
resulting  from  the  first  arrangement,  will  look 
much  larger  and  be  many  more  times  effective. 

THE  WRONG  PLACE  FOR  A  FLOWER-BED 

Another  principle  of  good  gardening  which 
is  frequently  violated  is  the  placing  of  a  flower- 
bed  in   the   middle   of   the   lawn.     There   is 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  191 

scarcely  anything  that  can  be  done  more  de- 
structive of  simpHcity  and  good  effect  than 
such  a  procedure.  Its  prevalence  appears  to 
be  due  to  the  paucity  of  ideas  on  the  part  of 
those  who  have  to  do  with  the  laying  out  of 
gardens,  their  one  rule  being  apparently  to 
place  "  things  "  in  the  middle.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  a  rule  which  may  always  be  ob- 
served with  safety,  that  whatever  be  your  prin- 
ciple object  make  the  most  of  it.  Now,  in 
any  but  the  tiniest  lots  the  grass  will  have  the 
largest  area.  Let  it  therefore  always  be  a  rule 
to  make  this  area  the  maximum  possible  for  any 
given  lot,  since  breaking  it  up  will  invariably 
produce  restlessness,  and  pettiness  in  the  de- 
sign. Flower  beds  may  very  well  be  placed 
to  one  side  or  around  the  grass  plot,  even  in 
larger  lots,  if  it  is  desired  to  keep  the  stretch 
of  green  as  unbroken  as  possible. 

HEDGES 

Not  many  years  ago  a  well  intentioned 
movement  led  to  the  abandonment  of  all 
fences,  whether  upon  the  street  or  between 
neighboring  lots  in  suburban  districts.  The 
desire,  of  course,  was  to  produce  breadth  of 
treatment  by  a  combination  of  individual  in- 


192  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

terests.  The  facility  which  this  scheme  af- 
forded for  the  smaller  children  and  domestic 
animals  to  wander  at  large  over  lots  and  flower 
beds  has  led  to  its  abandonment  in  more  recent 
years,  and  the  effect  originally  desired  has  been 
produced  in  a  much  more  charming  manner 
(while  obviating  all  the  disadvantages  of  the 
former  method)  by  substituting  the  use  of 
hedges  for  fences.  This  gives  a  large  expanse 
of  green  unbroken  by  the  harsh  lines  and  vari- 
egated colors  of  fences,  and  minimizes  the  fact 
that  the  lots  are  separate  compartments.  Wire 
fences,  with  vines  trained  over  them,  form  a 
cheaper  substitute  for  hedges,  though  less 
agreeable. 

This  is  not  a  chapter  on  the  horticultural 
side  of  gardening,  yet  a  suggestion  may  be 
made  here  and  there  with  regard  to  suitable 
materials  for  the  garden  design. 

The  best  all  round  hedging  material  is  the 
California  privet,  and  this  because  of  its  vigor- 
ous habit  of  growth,  its  ability  to  maintain 
itself  under  severe  pruning  and  especially  be- 
cause it  maintains  its  leaves  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  winter.  Mr.  J.  Franklin  Meehan, 
a  Philadelphia  authority,  has  noted  a  case 
where  in  his  experience  privet  hedges  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  years  of  age  have  been  sue- 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  193 

cessfuUy  maintained  in  perfect  condition  at 
heights  under  eighteen  inches.  Generally 
speaking,  however,  it  is  better  not  to  subject 
a  privet  hedge  to  this  severe  treatment,  and  its 
use  should  be  reserved  for  boundary  and 
screening  hedges,  such  as  those  between  the 
kitchen  yard  and  the  lawn,  or  the  ornamental 
flower  garden  and  the  kitchen  garden,  and  box 
should  be  used  for  the  smaller  hedges  bounding 
the  edges  of  the  walks.  Evergreen  hedges 
other  than  box  are  difficult  to  maintain,  and 
cannot  be  recommended  to  economical  garden- 
ers. Privet  has  the  additional  advantage  of 
growing  freely  under  the  dense  shade  of  trees 
and  in  other  places  where  it  would  be  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  maintain  any  other  hedge. 
For  hedges  of  a  moderate  height  not  exceed- 
ing five  feet  the  Japanese  "  Barberri  "  is  ex- 
tremely satisfactory.  Its  leaves  appear  early 
in  the  spring,  remaining  brightly  green  all  sum- 
mer, and  turn  in  the  autumn  to  a  rich  and 
brilliant  red;  and  after  they  are  gone  bright 
red  berries  remain  all  winter.  Its  deciduous 
character,  however,  should  be  noticed,  and  it 
will  not  bear  much  pruning.  It  must  be  set 
back,  therefore,  three  or  four  feet  from  the 
edge  of  the  path  or  from  the  line  for  which  it 
is  to  form  a  boundary.     It  is  very  compact  in 


194  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

its  habit,  and  spreads  directly  above  the  roots 
sometimes  as  much  as  three  and  one-half  or 
four  feet  in  thickness. 

A  rose  hedge  is  possible,  especially  if  Rosa 
Rugosa  be  used.  There  are  two  varieties, 
red  and  white;  which  may  be  mixed  to  good 
effect  in  a  single  hedge.  These  rose  hedges 
are  hardy  and  insect  proof  and  have  a  bright, 
close  foliage;  and  when  the  flowers  are  gone 
the  bright  red  fruits  are  very  ornamental. 

USE   PERENNIALS 

For  small  gardens  the  main  reliance  may 
well  be  an  old-fashioned  perennial  garden,  with 
a  small  rose  garden  as  an  adjunct  if  one  is 
successful  with  that  beautiful  flower.  An- 
nuals, hardy  or  otherwise,  may  of  course  be 
introduced,  but  in  the  small  garden  it  is  per- 
haps not  wise  to  attempt  too  great  a  variety 
of  them. 

The  American  fashion  of  placing  the  orna- 
mental flower  garden  between  the  house  and 
the  street,  while  it  has  much  to  recommend  it 
from  an  altruistic  point  of  view,  can  never 
lend  itself  so  thoroughly  to  domestic  interests 
as  the  somewhat  better  English  fashion  of 
placing  the  ornamental  flower  garden  behind 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN   195 

the  house  where  privacy  can  be  secured  for  it, 
especially  if  it  be  enclosed,  English  fashion, 
between  brick  walls. 


GARDEN    POOLS 

For  small  gardens  there  can  be  no  question 
as  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  formal  and  the 
informal  garden  plan.  In  very  large  gardens 
where  there  is  room  for  both  the  informal  gar- 
den has  its  place,  but  for  small  houses  on  small 
lots,  which  must  necessarily  be  arranged  with 
some  degree  of  rank  and  order,  in  order  to 
exist  at  all,  the  formal  garden  even  on  the 
smallest  scale  will  be  found  to  present  the 
greatest  charm.  It  is  futile  to  affect  the  wild- 
ness  of  nature  on  a  lot  fifty  feet  wide,  espe- 
cially under  the  more  or  less  formal  conditions 
of  suburban  surroundings,  such  as  has  been 
previously  suggested. 

If  running  water  can  be  easily  and  cheaply 
secured,  a  pool  may  well  form  the  center  of 
the  garden,  and  this  can  be  used  for  growing 
lilies  and  other  aquatic  plants.  But  usually 
where  economy  must  be  consulted  this  is  im- 
practical. If  such  a  pool  be  built  it  must  be 
of  concrete  and  very  carefully  constructed  on 
a  good  foundation,  otherwise  it  will  settle  and 


196  THE  FAIVIILY  HOUSE 

crack.  It  is  highly  desirable  also  that  some  of 
the  waterproof  compounds  be  mixed  with  the 
cement  in  order  that  the  concrete  itself  shall  be 
waterproof.  This  will  not  add  materially  to 
the  cost  of  the  concrete  and  will  add  greatly 
to  the  efficiency  of  the  pool. 

A  much  less  expensive  method  of  construct- 
ing a  pool  is  possible  if  the  soil  in  which  it  is  to 
be  placed  is  clay,  or  if  there  be  a  clay  bank  in 
the  neighborhood.  If  the  excavation  is  made 
in  the  clay  itself  the  sides  may  be  constructed 
of  brickwork  in  cement  mortar  with  a  coat  of 
cement  mortar  on  the  outside.  When  this 
coat  is  hard,  clay  should  be  rammed  tightly 
against  the  outside  of  the  wall  before  the  top 
soil  is  put  in  place.  The  brick  walls  should 
be  laid  in  a  trench  excavated  in  the  clay  bed 
and  the  trench  well  filled  with  rammed  clay  as 
soon  as  the  wall  is  finished. 

Where  the  soil  is  not  clay,  but  with  clay  in 
the  neighborhood,  the  following  procedure 
may  be  adopted.  The  excavation  is  made  in 
the  usual  way,  the  excavated  earth  being  used 
for  grading  purposes.  The  bottom  of  the  pond 
should  be  rammed  hard  after  having  been  dug 
about  six  inches  deeper  than  is  desired  for  the 
finished  depth  of  water.  Trenches  should  be 
excavated  for  an  eight  inch  brick  wall,  and  the 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  19T 

bottom  and  the  sides  of  the  trench  and  bottom 
of  the  pond  should  be  covered  with  well 
pounded  clay  not  less  than  six  inches  on  the 
bottom  and  three  or  four  inches  on  the  sides 
of  the  trench.  After  the  wall  is  built  the 
trench  should  be  filled  with  clay ;  the  outside  of 
the  wall  being  plastered  with  cement  mortar 
and  the  clay  rammed  against  this  as  in  the 
preceding  case.  Mr.  Chas.  E.  Pilling  of 
Lansdowne,  Pa.,  whose  beautiful  Japanese  gar- 
den at  that  place  has  attracted  wide  attention, 
and  who  has  successfully  used  a  method  prac- 
tically identical  with  the  above  gives  the  fol- 
lowing rules  for  success  in  growing  water 
plants  of  all  kinds.  First,  a  tight  pond;  sec- 
ond, avoid  overcrowding;  third,  very  rich  soil. 

MAKING   A   LAWN 

Never  attempt  to  make  a  lawn,  however 
small  it  may  be,  by  sodding.  Having  pre- 
pared your  ground  by  deep  digging  and  with  a 
suitable  loamy  soil  well  manured,  sow  with  a 
lawn  mixture  purchased  from  a  reputable 
seedsman.  By  this  method  a  rich  sward  will 
be  quickly  secured,  which  will  be  free  from 
the  coarse  grasses  always  to  be  found  in  field 
or    pasture    sods,    and    especially    free    from 


198  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

weeds  which  are  so  easily  introduced  and  so 
difficult  to  get  rid  of. 


GARDEN   WALKS 

Walks  may  next  be  considered.  For  a 
flower  garden,  both  as  regards  texture  and 
color,  red  brick  is  perhaps  the  most  agreeable, 
though,  as  has  already  been  suggested,  it  has 
its  defects.  To  maintain  brick  walks  in  good 
condition  two  requirements  must  be  observed. 
They  must  be  dug  out  to  a  depth  of  at  least 
twelve  inches,  a  layer  of  broken  stone  or  coarse 
gravel  four  or  five  inches  in  thickness  laid  over 
the  lowest  foundation,  and  above  that  either  a 
hard  pounded  broken  stone  in  small  sizes  or 
(best  of  all)  concrete.  The  bricks  may  be  laid 
flat  or  on  edge,  and  will  look  best  if  arranged 
herring-bone  fashion  with  raised  brick  edges. 

If  these  prove  too  expensive,  gravel  walks 
on  a  coarse  stone  foundation  are  very  suitable. 
Stone  flagging  may  be  used  where  it  can  be  had 
cheaply,  but  the  most  undesirable  of  all  mate- 
rials for  garden  walks  is  cement  or  concrete 
where  the  material  shows  on  the  finished  sur- 
face. They  are  harsh  in  tone  and  color,  of  a 
disagreeable  texture,  and  unpleasant  to  walk 
on.     The  expedient  of  coloring  the  top  coating 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  199 

of  cement  is  usually  very  unsatisfactory  at  best. 
It  is  difficult  to  get  the  right  color,  and  it  does 
not  wear  well. 

At  the  point  where  the  walk  abuts  against 
the  street  sidewalk,  the  hedge  may  be  pruned 
into  the  form  of  square  posts  or  piers  a  foot  or 
two  higher  than  the  general  line  of  the  hedge, 
but  wooden  gate  posts  and  a  wooden  gate 
should  be  hung  at  this  point  to  keep  the  en- 
trance closed.  If  this  is  painted  a  dark  green 
a  very  agreeable  effect  can  be  obtained. 

•  TREES  AND  SHRUBS 

With  regard  to  trees,  this  preliminary  ob- 
servation may  be  made  —  and  it  applies  to  the 
entire  garden  scheme  —  do  not  overcrowd. 
One  tree  in  a  small  yard,  placed  to  one  side  of 
the  lawn,  is  quite  sufficient.  Lawn  trees 
should  never  be  pruned,  especially  on  their 
lower  branches,  and  it  is  very  desirable  to  place 
the  tree  on  the  north  side  of  the  grass  plot  in 
order  that  it  may  not  overshadow  the  lawn. 
Small  trees  on  small  lots  is  a  safe  rule. 
Around  the  edges  of  the  lot  in  front  of  the 
hedge,  borders  of  hardy  perennials  or  hardy 
ornamental  grasses  are  extremely  effective. 
An  air  of  spaciousness  is  given  to  the  lot  by 


200  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

irregular  planting  about  the  borders,  but  care 
should  be  taken  to  avoid  the  absurdly  regular- 
irregular  line  so  dear  to  the  uncultivated 
gardener. 

With  regard  to  vines,  especially  for  growing 
about  verandahs,  honeysuckle  will  always  re- 
main a  favorite.  Morning  Glories,  the  Ampe- 
lopsis,  and  the  Japanese  Hop  give  charming 
variety.  For  a  short  period  in  the  early  sum- 
mer Clematis  gives  a  splendid  effect,  but  the 
brief  duration  of  its  blossoms  is  its  great  draw- 
back. 

So  many  garden  books  have  been  written 
that  it  seems  useless  to  add  to  their  number. 
Two  books  that  can  be  especially  recom- 
mended are  Ely's  "  Hardy  Garden "  and 
Professor  Bailey's  "  Garden  Making."  Par- 
son's "  How  to  plan  the  Home  Grounds  "  is 
a  useful  book,  and  Shelton's  "  Seasons  in  a 
Flower  Garden  "  may  be  added  to  the  collec- 
tion. For  entertainment  combined  with 
sound  instruction  perhaps  the  most  amusing 
garden  book  ever  written  is  Eden  Philpott's 
"  My  Garden."  Being  written  in  and  for 
England,  however,  many  of  its  instructions 
are  inapplicable  here.  It  should  be  on  the 
shelf  of  garden  books,  however,  for  its  enter- 
taining qualities. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  201 


A  CITY  FRONT  YARD 

The  problem  of  the  front  yard  of  a  city 
house  is  most  difficult  to  deal  with,  owing  to 
the  very  limited  space  and  to  the  exceedingly 
unfavorable  conditions;  of  which,  indeed,  the 


Tirck. 


*  Tic 


1 


"XL 


rta»«. 


,     p^^'r»'r\/^'n,' 


^-4 


Fig.  21.    Treatment  of  a  small  front  yard. 


limited  space  is  itself  one.  It  is  often  diffiN 
cult  to  get  direct  sunlight  if  there  be  trees  in 
the  street,  and  the  presence  of  these  trees  with 
their  roots,  which  multiply  enormously  in 
their  desperate  struggles  to  extract  nutriment 
for  the  tree  wherever  it  can  be  found,  make 
it  almost  impossible  to  retain  enough  nour- 


202  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ishment  for  either  grass  or  flowers.  Care  and 
patience,  however,  will  do  wonders,  even  un- 
der the  most  unfavorable  conditions,  and  if 
householders  would  have  due  regard  for  their 
duties  as  members  of  the  community,  among 
which  is  always  included  helping  to  render  the 
street  on  which  they  live  as  attractive  as  pos- 
sible to  the  eye,  such  efforts  would  be  more 
commonly  made  than  they  are  at  present. 

This  lack  of  effort  is  due  partly  to  the  feel- 
ing that  the  space  is  too  small  to  do  anything 
with,  and  partly  to  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the 
urban  dweller  with  regard  to  floriculture. 
Hesitation  on  the  part  of  dwellers  in  small 
city  houses  is  sometimes  due  to  the  idea  that 
nothing  can  be  accomplished  without  a  serious 
expense.  This  is  a  great  mistake,  since  a  few 
dollars  a  year  will  cover  the  entire  cost  of 
the  operation  after  a  favorable  soil  is  once 
established,  and  this  latter  requirement  can 
be  met  by  a  little  personal  exertion  on  the  part 
of  the  members  of  the  family  in  digging  op- 
erations and  in  bringing  home  rich  soil  from 
the  woods. 

TREATING    A    SMALL    SPACE 

Sometimes  the  available  space  in  front  of 
the  house  consists   of   nothing  more   than  a 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  203 

strip  of  earth,  perhaps  thirty  inches  wide,  be- 
tween the  house  wall  or  the  porch  and  the 
pavement.  Even  here  something  can  be  done 
by  maintaining  grass  which  can  be  made  to 
grow  by  unremitting  attention.  In  figure 
21  is  shown  a  condition  not  at  all  uncom- 
mon in  Philadelphia  and  other  cities,  and 
though  the  whole  position  would  seem  absurd 
to  the  rural  householder  a  truly  charming  ef- 
fect can  be  produced  by  care,  even  in  such  a 
little  space.  And  if  adjoining  householders 
will  combine  for  the  betterment  of  their  block, 
as  they  may  easily  be  induced  to  do  by  a 
little  effort,  the  result  of  uniting  the  adjoining 
properties  in  this  effect  makes  all  the  differ- 
ence between  a  dull  and  monotonous  street  and 
one  which  may  be  a  delight  to  the  eye,  even 
though  it  is  all  on  so  exceedingly  small  a 
scale. 

The  actual  available  space  of  all  of  the  gar- 
dening operations  in  front  of  the  house  in 
this  particular  case,  which  as  has  been  said 
is  not  at  all  uncommon,  gives  a  plot  of  earth 
about  seven  feet  wide  and  about  eleven  or 
twelve  feet  long.  Even  smaller  plots  than 
this  may  be  frequently  met  with  where  equally 
as  good  results  have  been  obtained.  Assum- 
ing that  we  have  either  an  easterly,  a  westerly 


204  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

or  a  southerly  exposure  for  the  plot  there 
should  be  no  difificulty  in  carrying  out  this 
scheme.  With  a  purely  northerly  exposure  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  results  would  be 
doubtful;  still  it  would  be  worth  while  to  try 
even  under  so  discouraging  an  aspect. 

Along  the  front  edge  of  the  porch  a  flower 
bed  is  made  which  is  two  feet  wide.  This 
should  be  dug  out  to  a  depth  of  at  least  six- 
teen inches  and  filled  in  with  rich  loam  mixed 
with  the  top  soil  from  the  woods,  though 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches  would  be  still  better. 
The  lower  portion  should  be  well  tamped 
down,  the  upper  portion  being  left  in  a  less 
compact  condition.  In  this,  at  one  end  of  the 
bed,  may  be  planted  a  honeysuckle,  at  the 
other  a  rose  bush ;  the  rest  of  the  bed  can  then 
be  devoted  to  any  particular  form  of  flower 
culture  which  most  appeals  to  the  owner  of  the 
garden.  Four  or  five  other  rose  bushes  may 
be  set  out  of  varying  colors  and  habits,  one  of 
them  a  climbing  rose,  which  with  the  honey- 
suckle can  be  trained  over  the  front  of  the 
porch,  forming  an  agreeable  screen  from  the 
street. 

Light  wire  fences  screen  the  garden  from 
the   street    and    separate   the    adjoining   lots. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  205 

Against  the  front  fence  should  be  planted  a 
privet  hedge,  which  should  be  kept  well  pruned 
back  so  as  not  to  rise  more  than  two  and  a  hall 
or  three  feet  high  except  immediately  at  the 
gate  posts  and  on  the  dividing  line  between 
the  lots. 

One  or  two  flowering  vines  may  be  trained 
against  the  dividing  fence  and  the  rest  of  the 
space  devoted  to  the  grass  plot.  This  should 
be  dug  over  to  a  depth  of  at  least  twelve  inches 
and  filled  up  with  rich  loam  well  interspersed 
with  well-rotted  stable  manure.  On  this 
should  be  thickly  sown  a  trustworthy  lawn 
mixture  and  every  winter  stable  manure  scat- 
tered over  the  plot. 

When  the  grass  is  well  started  it  should  be 
kept  well  wetted;  a  thorough  sprinkling  every 
night  during  the  dryer  seasons  being  steadily 
kept  up.  The  whole  expense  of  this  operation 
from  the  time  one  begins  to  make  the  garden 
until  the  first  results  begin  to  show  need  not 
exceed  ten  dollars,  and  the  annual  cost  of 
maintenance  less  than  half  that  sum.  The 
result  in  the  enjo3mient  which  can  be  derived 
from  its  bright  and  always  charming  aspect 
will  be  fully  worth  many  times  that  expend- 
iture. 


206  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

THAT  "  BACK  YARD  " 

It  seems  strange,  when  one  reflects  on  all 
the  possibilities  of  the  case,  that  the  chance  of 
having  a  real  garden  in  connection  with  a 
small  city  house  should  be  so  entirely  over- 
looked in  our  modern  American  practice. 
This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  street  front  is 
regarded  always  as  the  important  front,  all 
our  architectural  efforts  being  exhausted  upon 
this  faqade,  while  the  back  is  left  to  take  care 
of  itself,  and  the  back  yard  is  a  receptacle 
for  the  garbage  can,  the  ash  barrel,  and  the 
clothes  lines.  The  total  result  of  this  policy 
is  that  our  houses  are,  as  Baillie  Scott  says, 
"  best  described  by  the  phrase  *  Queen  Anne  in 
front  and  Mary  Ann  in  the  rear.'  "  ^  Even  if 
a  single  householder  undertook  to  reverse  this 
practice  the  result  could  not  be  but  bene- 
ficial, while  if  it  were  the  universal  prac- 
tice the  city  garden  and  the  rear  rooms  in 
a  city  house  could  be  made  exceedingly  at- 
tractive, all  of  the  best  rooms  in  the  house 
would  be  quite  free  from  city  noises  and  dust 
and  would  have  an  outlook  on  an  ample  ex- 
panse of  green  grass  and  brightly  colored 
flowers. 

^Houses  and  Gardens,  p.  98. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  207 


}     i,^ ^     y 


0 


—  Livma/T^oonv 


Fig.  22.  Plan  of  the 
ground  floor  and 
the  garden. 


"If 


j€«t*»R. 


Fig.  23.  Plan  of  the  Sec- 
ond Floor  (third  floor 
similar). 


J808  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

Of  course  such  an  arrangement  would  be 
less  possible  for  houses  placed  on  the  north 
side  of  an  east-west  street  because  for  a 
greater  part  of  the  day  a  portion  of  the  garden 
at  least  would  be  in  the  shadow  of  the  house 
but  even  here  by  a  little  cleverness  in  placing 
most  of  our  flowers  could  be  placed  at  the 
further  end  of  the  garden  entirely  in  the  sun- 
shine. Figure  22  shows  the  ground  floor 
plan  of  such  a  house  with  its  garden  on  a  lot 
20  feet  wide  and  100  feet  deep  and  figure 
23  shows  the  second  floor  plan  of  the  same 
house.  The  plan  has  been  modified  from 
Baillie  Scott's  suggestion  to  meet  American' 
conditions. 

A  GARDEN  PLAN 

This  plan  has  certain  merits  and  defects. 
The  most  obvious  merit  is  the  one  we  have 
striven  to  attain,  namely  a  garden  on  which 
the  principal  rooms  of  the  house  face.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  interior  rooms  are  lighted 
from  an  enclosed  light  court  open  to  the  sky, 
but  the  rooms  which  open  on  this  are  the 
kitchen,  pantry,  the  principal  and  servants' 
stairs,  the  servants'  bedroom,  the  bathroom  on 
the  second  floor ;  to  which  would  correspond  a 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  209 

small  family  bedroom  and  storeroom  or  ad- 
ditional bathroom  on  the  third  floor.  The 
large  rear  room  on  the  second  floor  could  be 
used  if  desired  as  a  library  or  as  the  principal 
bedroom,  according  to  circumstances,  and  a 
second  story  verandah  overlooks  the  garden. 
The  living  room  combines  the  functions  of 
drawing  room  and  dining  room,  as  has  pre- 
viously been  suggested.  The  laundry  is  in 
the  basement. 

The  chief  problem  would  be  with  regard  to 
drying  the  clothes.  If  a  drying  room  (such 
as  is  found  in  most  apartment  houses)  could 
be  installed  and  this  is  always  possible  at  a 
moderate  expense,  this  might  do,  but  for  house- 
keepers who  prefer  to  dry  their  clothes  in  the 
open  air  there  is  no  alternative  but  to  arrange 
lines  in  the  garden,  which  must  be  therefore 
devoted  to  the  clothes  drying  operations  for 
the  major  portion  of  one  day  in  the  week. 
Back  stairs  go  up  from  the  kitchen  to  the 
servants'  bedroom  on  the  second  floor  which,  it 
will  be  observed,  is  well  isolated  from  the 
family  rooms,  and  the  stairs  to  the  basement 
go  down  from  the  small  lobby  in  the  kitchen, 
which  also  gives  access  to  the  front  door,  a 
very  convenient  arrangement. 


«10  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

A  ROOF  GARDEN 

Perhaps  a  better  solution  of  the  laundry 
difficulty  would  be  to  place  that  room  on  the 
third  floor  over  the  servants'  bedroom,  and 
arrange  for  drying  clothes  on  the  roof.  This 
would  take  the  whole  operation  out  of  sight 
and  sound  and  would  utilize  the  roof  for  one 
of  the  many  purposes  for  which  it  is  so  admi- 
rably adapted. 

The  neglect  of  the  opportunities  afforded 
by  the  roofs  of  our  city  houses  is  lamentable. 
By  carrying  up  the  parapet  walls  to  a  sufficient 
height,  say  five  or  six  feet,  entire  privacy  can 
be  had;  and  the  roof  could  be  used  as  an  open 
air  day  room  during  the  warmer  portions  of 
the  year,  as  a  playground  for  the  children,  and 
as  a  sleeping  apartment  for  those  appreciating 
or  requiring  the  open  air  treatment,  now  so 
vigorously  advocated  by  hygienists,  for  every 
member  of  the  family,  sick  or  well. 

The  roof  can  be  arranged  in  a  very  attrac- 
tive manner  with  permanent  seats,  and  a  por- 
tion of  it  could  itself  be  roofed  over  by  carry- 
ing up  the  side  walls  a  few  feet  higher,  leaving 
one  side  entirely  open  to  the  air,  so  that  even 
on  rainy  days  it  would  be  available.  Flow- 
ering plants  can  be  grown  in  pots,  tubs,  and 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  211 

boxes ;  and  an  excellent  semblance  of  a  garden 
maintained  —  the  whole  proving  exceedingly 
attractive  at  a  very  small  expense. 

When  we  consider  that  the  most  serious 
drawback  to  city  life  is  the  lack  of  opportu- 
nity for  fresh  air  it  is  really  astonishing  how 
the  possibilities  of  the  roof  have  been  over- 
looked. 

BAD   GARDEN   SOIL 

Among  the  other  discouragements  with 
which  a  gardener  who  has  moved  into  a  new 
house  in  the  city  has  to  contend  not  the  least 
is  the  abominable  character  of  the  soil  for  the 
garden,  which  is  made  up  of  all  the  refuse 
left  from  building  the  house.  As  Eden  Phil- 
pott  says,^  "  It  is  customary  to  take  all 
the  debris  that  the  builders  rejected,  or 
spoilt,  or  wasted,  and  arrange  it  in  heaps 
outside.  It  is  then  dusted  over  with  the 
stuff  dug  out  of  the  foundations,  and 
called  flowerbeds.  But  bits  of  brick  and 
lead  piping,  zinc  roofing  and  sawn  wood, 
broken  glass  and  broken  slates,  shavings  and 
mortar,  lumps  of  putty  and  dregs  from  the 
soldering  ladle,  do  not  make  a  flower  bed. 
You  may   even   spread   a   mulch  of  broken 

^  My  Garden.    Introd.,  p.  9. 


«12  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

drain-pipes,  fragments  of  wall  paper  and 
scourings  of  paint-pots,  upon  these  founda- 
tions, and  yet  produce  no  plant  food  worthy 
of  the  name.  To  grow  plants,  we  must  have 
soil;  and  if  you  are  going  to  be  contented  with 
any  substitute,  you  may  be  wise,  thrifty,  and 
sensible,  but  you  are  not  a  gardener,  and  should 
never  pretend  to  that  proud  name." 

Under  such  conditions  there  is  nothing  to 
do  but  have  the  garden  plot  excavated  to  a 
good  depth,  and  this  rubbish  carted  off  and  re- 
placed by  a  good  garden  soil;  after  that  all  is 
plain  sailing  for  those  who  have  the  gift  of 
gardening,  but  the  trouble  is  worth  while. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  STITCH  IN  TIME 

Eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  economy, 
and  it  must  be  a  vigilance  that  operates  in  both 
directions;  first,  in  seeing  that  no  unnecessary 
expenditures  are  made,  and,  secondly,  in  mak- 
ing expenditures  the  instant  the  necessity  for 
them  is  established.  This  latter  principle  is 
the  true  secret  of  economy  in  house  mainte- 
nance. As  soon  as  anything  about  the  house 
gets  out  of  order,  or  shows  premonitory  signs 
of  doing  so,  it  should  be  at  once  repaired  or  re- 
placed, because  if  the  smaller  things  are  neg- 
lected their  impaired  functions  soon  involve 
other  interests,  and  an  ever  widening  circle  of 
deterioration  results. 

INSPECT  YOUR  HOUSE  FREQUENTLY 

Every  house  owner  should  make  a  system- 
atic monthly  inspection  of  the  house  both  inside 
and  out,  and  it  would  be  the  best  of  economy 
once  a  year  to  go  over  the  house  with  the  car- 
213 


«14i  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

penter,  mason,  and  plumber,  in  order  to  deter- 
mine whether  any  major  repairs  are  actually 
needed. 

Impending  disaster  can  be  discovered  and 
promptly  averted  by  the  expert  inspection  of 
these  mechanics,  and  it  is  always  possible  to 
find  an  honest  carpenter  or  an  honest  mason  or 
an  honest  plumber  in  spite  of  a  prejudice  to 
the  contrary  who  will  not  recommend  repairs 
that  are  unnecessary.  At  any  rate  the  com- 
mon sense  of  the  householder  will  serve  as  the 
necessary  balance  wheel  when  repairs  are  ad- 
vised. Inspection  of  the  house  to  be  effective 
should  be  systematic.^ 

We  have  already  seen  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter how  such  an  inspection  should  proceed  for 
the  exterior  of  the  house,  and  for  the  interior 
where  repairs  are  usually  the  more  expensive 
it  should  proceed  systematically  from  attic  to 
cellar  room  by  room  or  if  it  will  not  consume 
too  much  time  it  will  probably  insure  a  more 
effective  inspection  if  the  house  were  gone  over 
several  times  —  plastering  first  being  scruti- 
nized, woodwork  next,  painting  and  glazing 
next,  heating  apparatus  next  and  plumbing 
last. 

1  A  book  dealing  adequately  and  minutely  with  the 
subject  matter  of  this  chapter  is  T.  M.  Clark's,  The 
Care  of  a  House.     New  York.     Macmillan,  1905. 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME  215 

Although  numerous  suggestions  were  made 
about  maintenance  and  repairs  in  the  chapter 
entitled  "  How  is  the  House  built,"  some  addi- 
tional suggestions  may  well  be  given  here. 

CRACKS  IN   WALLS 

Cracks  in  plaster  may  result  from  two 
causes:  a  fracture  of  the  wall  against  which 
it  is  placed,  or  a  local  fracture,  affecting  only 
the  plastering  itself.  The  former  of  these 
has  already  been  discussed  and  is  to  be  re- 
garded of  course  as  merely  a  local  symptom 
of  a  more  serious  disorder.  That  a  crack  be- 
longs to  this  category  may  be  ascertained  by 
examining  the  exterior  of  the  wall  to  which 
it  is  attached  or  if  this  be  not  possible  (as  may 
sometimes  happen  in  the  case  of  party  walls) 
by  tapping  on  or  pushing  against  the  plaster 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  crack 
itself.  Where  the  wall  behind  it  is  cracked 
the  plastering  will  usually  be  found  sound  and 
firmly  attached  to  the  wall  except  over  the 
crack  itself.  Where  the  crack  however  arises 
from  a  condition  of  deterioration  in  the  plaster, 
the  plaster  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
the  crack  will  also  almost  certainly  be  found 
to  be  loosened  from  the  wall  behind.     In  such 


216  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

a  case  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  how  soon 
it  must  be  cut  out  in  a  larger  or  smaller  patch 
according  to  circumstances  and  replaced  by 
new. 

Where  plastering  is  placed  directly  upon 
brick  walls  it  is  not  likely  to  become  detached, 
unless  either  the  plaster  itself  or  the  work- 
man who  put  it  on  the  wall  was  distinctly 
inferior.  Detached  and  bulging  plaster  is 
more  likely  to  occur  on  wooden  laths,  where 
it  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  "  key,"  clinch, 
or  hook-over  of  the  plaster  behind  each  lath 
was  either  originally  imperfect  (owing  to  un- 
skillful workmanship)  or  because  the  clinch 
originally  formed  has  become  broken,  either 
because  the  plaster  was  of  inferior  quality  or 
because  (as  more  frequently  happens  in  the 
case  of  a  ceiling)  there  has  been  unusual 
movement  on  the  floor  above.  In  any  event, 
whatever  the  cause  there  is  no  remedy  but  new 
plaster. 

LEAKY    PIPES 

Plaster  on  walls  or  ceilings  may  also  become 
loose  through  leakage  of  water  from  roof  tank 
or  pipes  and  if  the  leakage  has  been  large  in 
quantity  at  any  one  time,  or  long  continued  for 
a  smaller  quantity,  the  plaster  is  certain   to 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME  217 

become  detached  sooner  or  later.  It  is  there- 
fore wise  to  make  the  repairs  at  once  if  the 
leak  has  been  stopped,  provided  it  is  made  cer- 
tain that  it  will  not  occur  again.  Pipes  run- 
ning under  the  floor  would  be  usually  repaired 
by  taking  up  the  floor  rather  than  tearing  out 
the  ceiling  below,  but  even  in  this  case  it  would 
be  wise  to  renew  so  much  of  the  plaster  as 
shows  a  water  stain.  It  is  leakages  of  this 
description  which  make  a  hot  water  system 
in  a  house  so  undesirable,  especially  when  the 
walls  and  ceilings  have  decorations  of  any  ex- 
pensive character  upon  them.  Hundreds  of 
dollars  worth  of  damage  of  this  character  has 
been  caused  by  a  single  leak  in  a  hot  water 
pipe. 

LOOSE  PLASTER 

Loose  plaster  on  a  ceiling,  it  is  true,  has 
a  marvelous  capacity  of  maintaining  itself, 
even  for  years,  but  this  only  results  when  the 
original  plaster  was  of  the  very  best  char- 
acter with  plenty  of  first  class  cattle  hair  mixed 
with  it.  Nevertheless  it  is  always  liable  to 
come  down  at  any  moment,  and  usually  with- 
out warning,  with  serious  resulting  injury  not 
only  to  "property"  but  to  "person." 

Sometimes  on  a  ceiling,  where  the  plaster- 


gl8  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

ing  has  become  detached  in  this  way,  it  is  not 
always  possible  to  detect  it  with  a  certainty 
by  the  eye  alone,  but  if  a  straight  stick  several 
feet  long  be  placed  against  the  ceiling  it  can 
easily  be  detected. 

One  should  always  make  sure,  however,  that 
places  which  the  stick  would  indicate  as  bulg- 
ing are  really  loose  and  not  due  to  gross  care- 
lessness in  forming  a  straight  surface  on  the 
part  of  the  plasterer.  This  certainty  can  be 
obtained  by  pushing  against  the  suspected  spot. 
If  it  proves  firm  and  solid  and  does  not  give 
under  the  pressure  it  may  be  regarded  simply 
as  a  high  place  left  by  a  careless  plasterer. 

Plaster  on  wire  lathing  or  metal  lathing  of 
any  sort  is  not  likely  to  crack  or  become  de- 
tached even  though  the  wall  behind  it  should 
be  seriously  fractured;  but  metal  lath  unless 
galvanized  or  painted  before  the  plastering  is 
put  on,  is  likely  in  the  course  of  time  to  cause 
iron  rust  stains  which  will  show  through  the 
paper,  paint,  or  other  decoration. 

Shrinkage  cracks  are  another  type.  These 
occur  in  wooden  houses  and  are  due  to  the 
drying  and  shrinkage  of  the  timbers  which 
either  form  or  support  the  wall  or  partition. 
In  such  a  case  while  the  wooden  partition  itself 
is  not  actually  fractured  it  is  thrown  out  of 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME  gl9 

alignment  either  vertically  or  horizontally 
and  so  of  course  fractures  will  occur  in  the 
plaster. 

Such  shrinkage  cracks  will  cease  in  the 
course  of  a  year  or  two  and  the  best  treatment 
for  the  plaster  in  such  case  is  to  effect  tem- 
porary repairs  by  stopping  up  the  cracks  with 
plaster  of  Paris  and  when  the  movement  has 
ceased  if  there  is  a  considerable  fractured  sur- 
face it  had  better  be  cut  out  and  replaced.  It 
is  on  account  of  these  shrinkage  cracks  that 
it  is  always  better  policy  in  a  new  frame  house 
to  postpone  any  permanent  system  of  decora- 
ting the  walls  for  at  least  a  year,  resorting 
either  to  calcimine,  or  the  cheaper  grades  of 
wall  paper.  After  the  movement  has  ceased, 
or  at  least  greatly  diminished  in  its  scope,  per- 
manent decorations  can  be  proceeded  with. 

ROTTING  WOODWORK 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  re- 
pairing of  exterior  woodwork.  Rotting  wood- 
work will  occur  either  through  leaks  or,  pos- 
sibly, from  inherent  and  original  rottenness  in 
the  wood  itself.  What  is  known  as  dry  rot  is 
the  most  serious,  because  this  is  likely  to  effect 
the  entire  stick  of  timber;  and  as  it  is  in- 


220  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

fectious,  it  will,  unless  checked,  spread  to  the 
adjoining  portions  of  the  wall  partition  or 
floor.  Such  timbers,  when  detected  by  explor- 
ing with  a  knife  blade  or  tapping  with  some 
hard  substance,  should  be  removed,  together 
with  any  adjoining  parts  which  seem  to  be 
also  infected,  and  replaced  by  new  and  sound 
stuff.  Dry  rot  in  a  floor  is  a  more  serious 
matter,  because  it  may  proceed  until  the  whole 
floor  is  affected,  causing  a  collapse.  When 
therefore  any  floor  shows  undue  springiness, 
as  if  it  were  unable  to  bear  safely  the  weights 
ordinarily  placed  upon  it,  it  should  be  ex- 
amined with  the  aid  of  a  carpenter  and  suffi- 
cient inspection  of  the  floor  timbers  made  to 
satisfy  oneself  that  the  floor  is  not  becoming 
progressively  weaker  through  dry  rot.  Such 
springiness  may  of  course  arise  from  the  fact 
that  the  floor  beams  are  too  small  for  their 
span;  a  defect  very  common  in  cheap  houses 
and  one  resulting  in  a  lack  of  stiffness  in  the 
floor  with  consequent  serious  cracking  in  the 
plastered  ceiling  below. 

Such  floors  are  not  necessarily  in  danger  of 
collapsing  unless  some  unusually  heavy  weights 
be  placed  upon  them,  such  as  a  crowd  of  peo- 
ple or  a  very  heavy  piece  of  furniture,  or  a 
piano,  or  safe  or  other  similar  object  which 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME  221 

concentrates    its    weight    upon    a    relatively 
small  floor  area. 

Ordinary  exterior  woodwork  may  be  pro- 
tected for  many  years  if  sound  by  having  the 
painting  renewed  at  sufficient  intervals  to  keep 
it  in  good  condition.  The  frequency  of  such 
intervals  will  be  determined  by  the  original 
character  of  the  paint. 

PAINT 

Cheap  paints  require  renewing  almost  yearly 
while  the  best  quality  of  paints  will  last  for 
four  or  five  years  unimpaired.  It  should  be 
noted,  however,  that  woodwork  does  not,  if 
on  the  exterior,  need  to  be  painted  to  preserve 
it.  There  are  many  old  and  unpainted  houses, 
and  roof  shingles  which  often  have  no  prep- 
aration on  them  at  all  will  last  for  a  long 
series  of  years  if  the  wood  from  which  they 
were  cut  was  originally  sound.  Moreover  it 
should  be  noted  that  the  painting  of  wood- 
work from  which  the  sap  has  not  thoroughly 
dried  out  is  certain  to  cause  decay,  which  will 
probably  take  the  form  of  dry  rot  and  proceed 
very  rapidly  to  the  entire  destruction  of  the 
piece  affected. 

Woodwork  to  remain  sound  must  be  freely 


222  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

exposed  to  fresh  air,  and  the  painting  of  green 
wood  excludes  all  air  and  permits  the  fungi 
which  produce  decay  to  develop  with  astonish- 
ing rapidity.  It  is  not  dampness  but  lack  of 
fresh  air  circulation  which  is  the  chief  enemy 
of  all  woodwork  used  for  building. 

As  is  well  known  sticks  of  timber  completely 
immersed  in  water  will  not  only  last  for  many 
years  but  actually  improve  in  quality.  A  long 
timber  which  was  known  to  have  been  im- 
mersed in  fresh  water  for  sixty  years  has 
been  brought  out  and  used  for  years  after- 
ward as  a  stringer  piece  for  a  dock.  It  was 
of  white  oak  and  after  its  sixty  years  of  im- 
mersion was  almost  as  hard  as  iron.  Timber 
piles  under  water  will  last  for  many  centu- 
ries. A  piece  cut  from  one  of  the  piles  under 
the  famous  Campanile  at  Venice  which  was 
known  to  have  been  down  for  six  hundred 
years,  was  quite  as  sound,  and  probably  much 
harder,  than  when  first  driven.  The  question 
of  renewing  the  paint  and  varnish  on  interior 
or  even  exterior  woodwork  is  therefore  chiefly 
one  of  appearance. 

With  regard  to  paints  in  general,  it  may  be 
noted  that  the  really  durable  paints  are  those 
whose  basis  is  white  lead.  Therefore  the 
lighter  in  color  the  paint  is,  the  more  lead  it 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME 

contains,  and  the  more  lasting  it  is  likely  to 
prove.  The  chief  exception  to  this  is  the  well 
known  red  lead,  which,  when  genuine,  is 
equally  durable.  But  the  color  of  this  pre- 
cludes its  use  except  as  a  priming  coat  on  metal 
work,  for  which  purpose  it  should  be  regarded 
as,  on  the  whole,  the  most  satisfactory  ma- 
terial. 

FLOOR   VARNISHES 

The  part  of  the  interior  woodwork  that  is 
likely  to  give  the  most  trouble  is  the  floor. 
As  has  already  been  suggested,  floors  should 
never  be  painted,  because  it  is  quite  as  im- 
possible to  keep  a  painted  floor  in  good  condi- 
tion as  it  is  to  make  its  looks  originally  ac- 
ceptable. A  floor  should,  therefore,  if  it  is 
not  to  be  entirely  covered  with  a  rug,  be  stained. 
What  are  known  as  water  stains  usually  give 
a  better  eflfect  than  the  oil  stains,  especially 
when  applied  by  unskilled  hands.  By  better 
effect  is  meant  a  brighter  and  more  uniform 
color.  When  dry,  however,  they  must  be 
thoroughly  varnished  with  at  least  two  coats 
of  some  high  grade  floor  varnish  such  as 
those  previously  named.  Cheap  varnishes  are 
not  worth  the  price  of  the  cans  they  are  sold 
in,  since  they  will  either  darken  and  discolor 


2M  THE  FMIILY  HOUSE 

the  floor,  spot  with  water,  scratch,  and  prob- 
ably be  so  sticky  that  for  all  time  dust  will 
adhere  to  the  floor  surface  from  which  it  is 
impossible  to  remove  it. 

.  The  best  grades  of  floor  varnish  are  ex- 
pensive, but  as  they  are  very  durable  it  is  not 
worth  while  for  the  amateur  to  try  his  or  her 
skill  in  applying  them.  If  they  are  once  put 
on  by  a  skilled  painter  and  properly  rubbed 
down  between  the  coats  (the  last  coat  having 
a  little  wax  added  to  it)  the  job  is  done  for 
years  to  come;  and  beyond  a  little  occasional 
touching  up  with  wax,  is  not  likely  to  require 
much  further  attention. 

In  treating  an  old  floor  that  has  not  been 
stained  or  varnished  it  is  advisable  to  have  it 
replaned  in  order  that  the  bright  fresh  sur- 
face of  the  wood  may  show,  as  old  dark  stain 
spots  cannot  be  removed  by  any  other  process. 
It  is  not  of  so  much  importance  that  the  floor 
should  be  even  in  a  geometrical  sense  as  that 
it  should  be  even  in  color. 

All  of  these  processes  of  course  are  some- 
what expensive  and  it  is  therefore  advisable  in 
all  houses  of  moderate  cost  to  have  only  the 
borders  of  the  rooms  so  treated,  leaving  the 
major  portion  in  the  center  to  be  covered  by 
a  carpet  or  a  rug. 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME  225 

There  are  ready-made  hardwood  floors, 
which  consist  of  a  rather  thin  layer  of  wood 
backed  on  canvas  or  some  such  material  which 
can  be  bought  at  reasonable  prices  and  if  put 
down  by  a  skilled  carpenter  as  a  border  give 
very  satisfactory  results.  They  are  finished, 
of  course,  in  the  usual  way. 

Kitchen  floors  are  difficult  to  treat  if  the 
woodwork  is  to  show,  and  as  has  already  been 
suggested  it  is  much  the  better  policy  to  cover 
them  entirely  with  linoleum,  and  be  done  with 
it.  In  the  most  expensive  class  of  houses  the 
kitchen  floor  is  tiled,  but  we  are  not  concerned 
with  such  matters  here. 

STAINS 

Staining  is  the  cheapest  method  of  treating 
interior  woodwork  and,  otherwise  than  on 
floors,  may  be  regarded  as  sufficient  if  the 
water  stain  be  followed  by  a  coat  of  pure 
linseed  oil  with  just  sufficient  Japan  dryer  in 
it  to  insure  its  becoming  hard. 

Almost  all  of  the  woods  will  take  stain 
well,  even  yellow  pine,  and  these  stains  need 
not  have  regard  to  the  natural  color  of  the 
wood  but  may  be  greens,  reds,  blues,  or  any 
other  color  which   will   harmonize   with   the 


826  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

color  scheme  of  the  room  as  a  whole.  Cypress 
is  an  excellent  wood  for  such  treatment  and  is 
very  durable  both  for  exterior  and  interior 
finish. 

A  very  commendable  fashion  which  is  com- 
ing in  is  to  stain  the  exterior  woodwork  of  a 
house  rather  than  paint  it.  This  gives  softer 
and  more  agreeable  effects  and  on  the  whole 
is  probably  better  for  the  woodwork  itself. 
Dark  browns  and  greens  for  the  exposed  ends 
of  roof  rafters,  woodwork  of  the  porches  and 
verandahs,  etc.,  give  excellent  results.  Shin- 
gles whether  on  the  roofs  or  the  side  walls 
may  be  left  untreated  in  order  that  they  may 
acquire  a  silvery  weather  stain  which  is  the 
most  beautiful  of  all.  Roofs  quickly  acquire 
this  but  side  walls  far  more  slowly  and  during 
the  process  of  acquiring  it  are  almost  certain 
to  color  unevenly  making  a  disagreeable  effect 
which  has  to  be  endured  sometimes  for  as 
long  as  five  or  six  years. 

For  this  reason  it  is  perhaps  more  advisable 
to  stain  the  shingles  dipping  them  for  not  more 
than  one-third  of  their  length  in  a  shingle  stain, 
of  which  Cabot's  is  one  that  may  be  generally 
relied  on,  though  the  most  durable  of  all  stains 
is  perhaps  the  creosote  stain,  which  gives  on 
light  wood  shingles  an  agreeable  brown  effect 


A  STITCH  IN  TIME  227 

On  cypress  and  red-wood  shingles  the  effect 
is  somewhat  darker. 

The  light  shingle  stains  are  mixed  with  less 
durable  pigments,  which  in  the  course  of  time 
will  wash  off  more  or  less  completely;  some- 
times  the  washing  off  process  is  a  slow  one  and 
when  complete  the  shingles  will  be  found  to 
have  acquired  an  agreeable  and  permanent 
color  though  different  from  that  originally  in- 
tended. 


INTERIOR  PAINT  AND  PAPER 

Where  the  walls  or  woodwork  of  a  house 
are  painted,  the  most  difficult  problem  which 
results  from  this  treatment  is  that  of  keeping 
the  surfaces  clean  without  repainting.  The 
water  paints  or  fresco  colors  cannot  be  washed 
with  water,  but  stale  bread  may  be  used  to  wipe 
off  serious  blemishes.  This  process  may  also 
be  used  for  wall  paper.  Good  oil  paint  should 
stand  washing  with  soap  and  water  if  it  has 
a  decided  gloss.  If  it  does  not  show  any  gloss 
it  is  better  to  resort  to  soft  artist's  rubber  for 
individual  spots  of  small  size.  If  the  paint  is 
much  defaced  nothing  of  course  will  serve  but 
repainting.  This  process  has  one  decided  ad- 
vantage in  that  it  gives  us  the  opportunity  of 


S28  THE  FAMILY  HOUSE 

changing  the  color  scheme  of  a  room  if  we  wish 
to  do  so. 

Paint  which  has  blistered  about  a  fireplace 
can  be  renewed  only  by  sand  papering  and  re- 
painting on  the  spots  affected,  although  it  is 
better  to  refinish  the  whole  mantel  as  it  is  al- 
ways difficult  to  match  with  new  paint  old 
paint  which  has  acquired  a  certain  tone 
through  age. 

The  hundred  and  one  small  repairs  that 
need  to  be  made  about  a  house  are  usually 
done  by  householders  who  have  an  aptitude 
for  such  work,  who  will  not  need  any  special 
directions,  but  for  those  who  have  not  such 
aptitude  it  is  cheaper  in  the  end  to  call  in 
skilled  labor  to  make  the  repairs  as  needed, 
using  one's  common  sense  to  check  the  tend- 
ency of  the  average  mechanic  to  do  much  more 
work  than  is  really  required.  Careful  atten- 
tion to  these  matters  will  soon  enable  the 
householder  to  form  sound  judgments  and 
diminish  his  repair  bills  considerably. 


INDEX 

PAGB 

Adjoining  rooms,  how  to  decorate 134 

Air  space  in  walls 73 

Alterations,  what  to  ask  for 89 

"  Artistic  "  furniture 129 

"  Art  rugs  " 128 

Art,  sins  in 127 

Aspect   47 

Austrian  house,  plans  of 87 

Apartment  houses  and  home  life 23 

Back  stairs 93 

Back  yard,  that 206 

"  Barberri "  hedges 193 

Basins    181 

Bathroom    103 

"        European 104 

"         tiles  in 143 

Bathtubs 179,  181 

Beauty,  not  necessarily  an  extravagance...  142 

Bedrooms    102 

"  Boiler  "  (hot  water  reservoir) 93 

Brick   72 

"     walls    65 

"    "  absorbent 59 

Brick-work   57 

Building  Association,  The 18 

Bungalow,  plans  for  a 122 

Buy  carefully 24 

"  Cabot's  Preservative  "  for  brick-work 60 

California  privet 192 

229 


230  INDEX 

PAGE 

Cellar,  how  to  inspect 67 

"      windows    60 

Cement    72 

"       mortar   57 

"     walks   65 

Cesspools    185 

Cheap   "  homes  " 14 

Chimneys,  smoky "jy 

City  front  yard,  A 201 

City  life,  advantage 46 

Closets,  in  bedrooms 90 

"      earth    186 

"       lights  in 91 

"      water   181 

Cold  air  inlet,  The 162 

Color  and  texture 137 

"     dominant 131 

"     for  dining  room 136 

"       "  hall 136 

Compression  cock 178 

Concrete  claims 78 

"       houses 74,  79 

Convenience,  not  size 27 

Corner  houses  most  healthful 42 

Cost  of  living 10,  17 

Cracks,  from  settlement 58,  215 

"       shrinkage 219 

"       what  they  mean 58 

Decorating  adjoining  rooms 134 

Dignity  in  a  room 130 

Dining-room,  The 97 

"     color  for 136 

Direct  and  indirect  radiation 166 

Distance  from  work 32 

Dominant  color 131 

Doorbells,  how  to  test 69 


INDEX  281 


PAGE 


Doors,  how  to  test 71 

Down-spouts    61 

Draperies    140 

Drains,  how  to  inspect 67 

Dry  rot 220 

Earth  closets 186 

Electric  batteries 91 

Evergreen  hedges 193 

Family,  The  house  to  fit  the 20 

"      life 15,  84 

Faucets    177 

Fireplaces   'jy 

Fireproof  houses 75 

Fixtures,  gas  and  electric 147 

"        plumbing 180 

Floors,  hardwood  ready-made 225 

"       porch   62 

"      treatment  of 138,  143,  144 

"      upper  Ill 

"      varnishes   for 223 

Flower  bed  in  city 204 

"         "    wrong  place  for 190 

Flower  garden 195 

Flue,  air  supply  to  fireplace 78 

Flues,  slope  of 162 

Front  yard,  city 201 

Fuller   faucet 178 

Furnace,  defects  of 152 

flues    154,  156 

"        hot  air 149 

"        how  to  inspect 67,  163 

"        placing  of 154 

Furniture    141 

Garden    188 

"     books  on 200 

"     perennials  in 194 


232  INDEX 

PAGE 

Garden,  plan  for 208 

"     pools 195 

"      principles  for 189 

"      roof    210 

"      soil,  bad 211 

"     walks   198 

Glass  in  windows 65 

Grading 65 

Gravel   walks 198 

Half-timbered  houses 73 

Hardwood  floors 144 

"              "     ready-made 225 

Heating  and  Ventilating 148 

"         steam   165 

Heat  supply,  how  to  test 159 

Hedges    191 

"      evergreen    193 

"       Japanese   barberri 193 

"      privet 192 

"      rose    194 

Home  and  Family  Life 15 

Hose  connections 67,  177 

Hot  air  furnace,  The 149 

Hot  water  system,  The 168 

House  and  home 14 

"    garden   188 

"      best  way  to  place 53 

"      cost  of 86 

"      fifty  foot  lot 119 

"      how  built 56 

"      how  to  inspect 66,  213 

"      inspection  systematic 214 

"      interior  66 

"       narrow  city  lot 85 

"      refined    127 

"      site  of 86 


INDEX  233 

PAGE 

House,  suburban 1 18 

"       what  plan 8i 

Houses,  concrete 74,  79 

"  Dutch  Hall  "type 83 

"        fireproof 75 

"        half-timbered 73 

"        wood,  brick,  stone  or  cement ^2 

How  is  the  house  built  ? 56 

Income,  amount  for  rent 17 

Indirect   radiation 166 

Individuality 26 

Interior,  important  details 70 

Introduction 9 

Kitchen,  The 68 

"        conveniences 92 

"         floor,  woodwork  and  fixtures 68 

"         position  of 95 

"        tiles  in 143 

Lawn,  how  to  make  a 197 

Library,  The 98 

Lighting,  devices 91 

"         a  room 130 

Lights  in  closets 91 

Living-room,  The 98 

Lot,  The 39 

Lot,  condition  of   31 

Lot,  small,  best  plans  for 108,  115 

Masonry  walls 61 

Metal- work,  outside 64 

Mixing  valves 179 

Moisture  in  heating 160 

Moral  advantages 45 

Mortar 57 

Mortgage,  building  on  16 

Neighborhood    31,  34 

Neighbors  ^ ^ 36 


234  INDEX 


PAGE 


Noise  36 

Ownership,  site,  cost 86 

"            versus  rent 16 

Paint,  cheap 221 

"      importance  of  lead  in 64,  222 

"      exterior    63,  221 

"      interior    227 

Pantry,  The 96 

"       how  to  inspect  69 

Paper,  on  walls 227 

Perennials  194 

Pipes,   leaky 216 

Plan,  for  a  small  city  lot 108 

"     for  narrow  suburban  lot 115 

Plans,  for  a  bungalow 123 

Plaster,  loose 217 

Plumbing    175 

"         fixtures    180 

Porches,  position  of loi 

Privet,   California 192 

Prospect  and  Aspect 47 

Radiation,  direct  and  indirect 166 

Range,    The 94 

Reception  room 84,  99 

"            "       decoration    135 

Refrigerator,  proper  placing  of 93 

Registers,  placing  of 156 

Rent,  amount  to  pay 17 

Renting  or  ownership 16 

Repairs    228 

Rich  man's  troubles,  The 22 

Roof,  how  to  examine 62,  64 

Roof-garden   210 

Room,  dignity  in 130 

"       lighting  a 130 

Rooms,  position  of 105 


INDEX  235 

MGE 

Rose  hedges 194 

Rot,   dry 220 

Rotting   woodwork 219 

Shower-baths 179 

Shrubs  199 

Simplicity    132 

Sincerity   29 

Sink,  in  kitchen 93 

Sins  in  art 127 

Site,  The 31 

Slop-sink,  The 183 

Small  lot,  best  plans 108,  115 

Smoke   36 

Smoky  chimneys ']'] 

Soil-pipe,   The 184 

Springs    42 

Stains    225 

Staircase,  The 100 

Stationary  washtubs 92 

Steam  heating 165 

Stitch  in  time,  A 213 

Stone  72 

Stone  houses,  disadvantages 73 

Stone  work  not  always  expensive 'j(i 

Street,  condition  of 31 

Suburban  house,  A  narrow 116 

Sunshine  and  view 47 

"        amount  of  on  walls 50 

Texture 137 

Town  or  country  ? 43 

Transportation    31,  33 

Treatment  of  woodwork 146 

"    floors 143 

"          "   fireplaces 146 

Trees  and  shrubs 199 

Unity  129 


236  INDEX 

PAGE 

Upper  floors,  The  iii 

Varnishes,  floor 223 

Ventilating 148,  172 

Vines 200,  205 

Walks 65,  198 

Walls,  air  space  in 73 

"      cracks  in 215 

"      masonry 61 

Washtubs,  stationary 92 

Water-closets   181 

Water,  hot,  "  boiler  "  for 93 

"        supply    176 

Water-hammer,  The 171 

Waterproofing  bricks 60 

What  is  the  plan  of  the  house? 81 

What  sort  of  a  street  ? 38 

Where  shall  the  house  be  ? 30 

Windows,  cellar 60 

"           dormer    72 

"           fastenings    70 

"          glass  in 65 

Winds,  prevailing 54 

Wooden  houses 72 

Woodwork,  outside 62,  221 

"           rotting 61,  62,  219 

**           sound  though  unpainted 221 

"           treatment  of 146 


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